Chapter 39-Mature Content Warning

We spent a few days scouring the city for a way to gain access to the large stone castle that housed Amegakure's royal family. Sasuke wouldn't let me out of his sight the entire time, wordlessly insisting I don't stray more than an arm's length away at any time. If he couldn't be with me somewhere, I had to have one of the other two around. Not having any time alone was annoying, but I didn't complain because this was what I asked for. If I have to be babysat in order to be included, then so be it.

We visited shops, museums, and even parks to try and find a way in.

On day three, an opportunity finally revealed itself and not in a way we expected. Ino and I were freshening up in one of the restrooms of a small restaurant after having lunch with the Uchiha twins when a tall and exotic looking young woman joined us in the room.

We exchanged respectful bows in silence as she passed by us, only for her to spin on her heel and face us once more. Ino took a small step forward as though she was cautious of the stranger and I got the feeling she was listening in on the woman's thoughts and didn't like what she was hearing.

Either way, the woman offered a small smile, "You two are visitors to Amegakure, aren't you?"

Ino let out a nervous laugh, still trying to be polite despite her obvious discomfort, "Is it obvious?"

The woman's grin widened, but in a non-threatening way. Ino reached back to grab my wrist and I nearly jumped out of my skin when her voice rang through my head, "She caught your scent. We need to be careful."

Her gift just kept developing further. I followed my sister's lead as she bowed once more, "My name is Ino and this is my sister, Sakura. We come from Konohagakure."

So this woman is a vampire, too. She had short blue hair, bright orange eyes, and a few facial piercings, and introduced herself in a calm voice, "My name is Konan. I am the queen of Amegakure."

The blood drained from my face and I'm sure my mouth fell open in shock. This Konan was attractive and well-mannered, of course, but her clothing wasn't overly spectacular or expensive looking, not to mention she was in a small restaurant bathroom with no escorts or bodyguards so it surprised me straight to the bone that this is one of the royals we've been searching for.

Konan let out a small laugh at our response, covering her mouth delicately for a moment before waving a hand in dismissal, "I get that reaction quite a lot from visitors, " she offered us another kind smile, "Would you like to join me in the castle this evening for tea? I'd love to speak with you about Konoha as my husband and I have been wanting to visit for quite some time now."

Ino looked back at me for a moment before returning her gaze to the queen's, "Of course! What time would you like us to arrive?"

After ironing out some details about afternoon tea with Konan, Ino and I rushed back out to the boys and we all hurried back to the hotel. We didn't mention a word about meeting Konan until we were safe and sound in Ino and Sai's room. Sai looked shocked by the news and Sasuke looked annoyed, the latter kissing his new wife on the lips, "You did so well! We're very lucky-"

"This wasn't part of the plan."

We looked over at Sasuke, who had a glare on his dark features. My smile sank as I realized what he meant, but he continued, "Sakura's a human. We can't send her into a castle most likely filled with vampires."

Ino's brow furrowed, "Konan's heard the rumor about Sakura and suspects it's her, but I didn't sense any ill-intent. Besides, I'll be there so it's not like she'll be alone."

Ino looked at me for confirmation and I glanced over to meet Sasuke's gaze to speak in as calm a voice as possible, "We might not find another way inside."

He clenched his teeth, causing his jaw to flex as he looked away, obviously upset that I hadn't taken his side.

Sai spoke, "Do you think Konan would be open to us joining you?"

Ino shrugged her shoulders, "I was so shocked in the moment that I forgot to ask!"

We all decided that it would be best to at least try and have the boys join us, just to be safe, and were soon dressed more appropriately for the occasion and at the entrance to the large stone castle. A short, tanned, red-haired young man with a blank smile similar to Sai's came to meet us with his eyes glowing. Once he was within speaking distance, the trait faded to reveal light brown eyes and I wondered why he even had them glowing to begin with.

He greeted us politely, "My name is Sasori. It's a pleasure to welcome you to Amegakure."

His eyes danced over Ino and I for a moment before jumping to the two tall Uchiha's behind us, his smile faltering slightly, "I was only informed of the two young ladies joining our queen for tea. Who are you?" He held up one hand to stop the two masked guards standing behind him that'd moved to approach, most likely to apprehend the unannounced guests.

I tightened my grip on Ino's hand and she squeezed back. Sai's voice was calm and professional as he and his twin stepped forward to bow to Sasori, "We are Sai and Sasuke Uchiha, princes of Konoha. We heard your queen was interested in visiting our city and wanted to invite her personally."

Sasori was silent for another few moments and looked as though he were still listening to someone speak, but eventually nodded, "Understood. Please follow me to the tea room."

We were led through a few well-lit hallways until we were politely ushered through an arched doorway into an elegantly decorated tea room with vases full of purple roses and expensive looking dishes. Our guide motioned for us to take a seat at the large white table in the center of the room, "Please make yourselves comfortable as I inform the queen of your arrival."

I awkwardly sat next to Sasuke, meeting his still-glaring eyes for a moment before looking around the room curiously as we waited. I, luckily, hadn't gotten the bad feeling I'd gotten in Oto. The castle was very similar to the one in Konoha, but used a red, white, and purple color scheme instead of black.

We waited in silence for a few moments before a loud voice suddenly sounded out in the hall, "What's that smell? It's so-" Two odd looking men came through the archway and whichever one had been speaking stopped doing so.

One had silver hair slicked back neatly and pinkish-purple eyes while the other had blonde hair almost as long as Ino's and blue eyes. We all rose to our feet to greet the newcomers.

The blonde one spoke in a surprisingly deep voice, given his slightly feminine appearance, and I realized it had to have been the other one that'd been speaking before, "Oh, I didn't know we'd be having guests! Allow me to offer an apology for the intrusion."

Ino replied easily as though she'd been doing this all her life, "We're visiting from Konohagakure. We're here to have tea with Konan."

As though speaking her name had brought on her existence, Amegakure's queen appeared behind the men and they stepped aside for her to pass through. She spoke in the same polite voice she had earlier, "Sorry, boys. I didn't have a chance to tell you I would have guests today." She greeted Ino and I with a gentle grin, gesturing to each of the two strange men, "This is Hidan and Deidara, two of my husband and I's most trusted advisors."

So the silver haired one was Hidan and the blonde one was named Deidara. The two shook everyone's hand in greeting, but when the blonde one shook mine something warm and wet touched my palm and I couldn't hold back a squeal of surprise. Sasuke's eyes were ablaze instantly and he firmly tore the newcomer's wrist away.

"I'm sorry! If someone smells really good, I have trouble controlling it!" He swiftly tore his arm away from the Uchiha prince and showed us both of his palms. There was a mouth on each that had a tongue and teeth.

My blood ran cold at the sight because I've never even heard of something like that, but I gave Sasuke a reassuring look regardless.

His eyes faded back to their usual black and Ino quickly spoke to pull the attention away from the tense scene that'd just occurred, "This is my husband, Sai, and his brother Sasuke. I apologize for bringing them along without asking permission first. They were just so eager to meet you!"

Konan shook her head, smoothly moving to sit at the large table with us. The two advisors joined us, as well, most likely to make sure their queen wasn't in any danger. "Not to worry, my new friend. I only wish you'd mentioned you were a princess of Konoha sooner!"

Ino's face reddened slightly and she put a hand to her mouth in surprise, glancing back at her new husband in shock, "I suppose it hasn't really sunk in that I'm a princess, yet."

Sai grinned lovingly at her and we all wordlessly sat down. Sasori returned with a tray and silently began serving fresh tea to us all. His movements were gentle and elegant as though he's done this thousands of times. Once everyone was settled, the conversation was polite and earnest for a while, mostly Ino and Konan speaking, but the rest of us listened intently and sipped our tea.

I was brought out of my dazed stupor almost an hour later when the queen suddenly spoke directly to me, "So, Sakura, are you also a princess of Konoha? Is it alright if I call you by just your first name? I feel as though we'll become friends quickly."

My face warmed and I shook my head, fidgeting with my hands in my lap, "I don't mind at all, Ma'am, but I am not a princess."

Konan looked between Sasuke and I for a moment and I swore she seemed almost amused, but she quickly snapped out of it and waved a hand in dismissal, "My apologies for the personal question, then, and please, just call me Konan. There's no need to be so formal."

I nodded politely, not trusting myself enough to come up with an adequate response. The air went awkward for a moment as the conversation hit a speed bump.

To our surprise, Hidan spoke up for the first time since joining the table, "You're human."

It was more of a statement than a question, but I still felt compelled to respond. The blood drained from my face at his blunt words. I nodded, too nervous to meet the strange man's gaze.

Ino spoke up, "She's to be turned in the near future."

Konan's smile widened, "How wonderful! You must be quite nervous."

I nodded, my face warming even further under the room's scrutiny.

Hidan spoke once more, "Pardon my frankness, but what's the hold up? You must know by now that your scent is-" The queen suddenly slapped his arm with a glare on her face, causing him to shut up mid-sentence.

Sasuke spoke up for the first time since entering the castle, "That's none of your business."

The silver-haired man's eyes narrowed, but he plastered on an obviously amused smile, "It wasn't my intention to offend anyone. My apologies."

Konan let out a short chuckle, "I like this one. He's not afraid to put Hidan in his place."

We all let out various sounds of amusement. The conversation soon returned to normal and before long the sun was starting to set in the sky.

Sai spoke politely, "Your hospitality has humbled us, but we should be leaving soon. We don't want to overstay our welcome."

Konan rose to her feet and everyone else at the table followed suit, me included, "Oh, nonsense! You simply must stay in the castle while you're in town! What kind of hosts would we be if we let Konoha's royals stay in a lowly hotel?"

We all looked at one other for a moment before Ino spoke once more, "Are you sure that's alright? We don't want to be a bother."

Konan motioned for both Deidara and Hidan, "Of course I'm sure! Boys, why don't you fetch their belongings while I give them a tour of the palace?" The two men left the room without so much as another word and we were soon led through the large castle by its queen.

After about an hour, we were finished and shown our rooms.

Sasuke and I were given separate rooms and I assumed it was as a result of my not being a princess of Konoha. The royals here must've taken that as a denial of being involved with Sasuke at all, but I'm sure they could tell anyway because of my scent. Maybe they couldn't tell, though, because Sasuke was barely a foot away from me the entire day so his scent would naturally be present.

After freshening up a bit and verifying all of my belongings had been retrieved, a knock came at the bedroom door. When I nervously opened it, I bowed respectfully to Sasori. He was only a couple inches taller than me and didn't appear to be very muscular so his appearance wasn't nearly as intimidating as the men from earlier in the day.

"I've come to escort you to the dining hall for dinner. Please follow me."

Never in my life have I ever met someone so formal.

After a few seconds of silence, I awkwardly tried to start a friendly conversation, "The castle is so beautiful. How long have you lived here?"

He didn't turn to look at me and answered as though he'd been ordered to by someone of authority, "I have been a member of Amegakure's advisory council for sixty two years."

My mouth clamped shut as I was reminded that he wasn't a normal person and was, in fact, a vampire. He looked like he was sixteen years old or maybe even younger.

Then I worried that asking a question that required an answer like that was insensitive and tripped over my words trying to redeem myself, "I-I apologize if my question was inappropriate. I forgot you were…" I trailed off nervously before sighing in defeat, "I'm sorry."

He turned, then, to glance at me, but his expression was still blank, "I am not offended. We are approaching the dining hall now."

I was then led into a giant dining hall with multiple large tables. Sasuke looked over me silently once I sat down beside him, likely verifying I hadn't been harmed. I gave him a reassuring smile before averting my gaze down to the table. I noticed most of the decorations were adorned with a blood red cloud icon and assumed that must be the royal family's crest.

We were sitting at the largest table in the room and my eyes landed on who could only be the king of Amegakure. He was definitely odd looking, but I wouldn't consider him unattractive. He had bright orange hair and odd purple eyes with a line swirling throughout each of them. Piercings accented both his face and body, but somehow seemed to suit him.

There were also a couple other new arrivals at the large table that we hadn't been introduced to and they honestly intimidated me more than the king. There was an incredibly tall and muscular man with dark blue eyes and hair, but his size wasn't what terrified me. His skin was light blue and when he spoke, I could see that his teeth were razor sharp.

Next to him sat another giant man who had very dark tanned skin, bright purple eyes, a mask covering most of his face, and stitches running across his skin in multiple places, as though he'd been cut up and sewn back together. The members of the advisory council were so unique that I've never imagined some of the physical qualities they had would ever be possible.

I did my best to keep my gaze down on the table. I haven't been this terrified at a dinner table since that first day after I'd been attacked by Madara and didn't know who'd done it.

Once Sasori, Hidan, and Deidara had taken their seats, a friendly face suddenly appeared. My eyes lit up when Obito suddenly joined us at the table and he offered me a shy smile, but the king finally spoke and interrupted our reunion.

His voice was deep and serious and suited him perfectly, "Welcome, our guests from Konohagakure. My name is Yahiko and I am the ruler of this great city. We are honored to make your acquaintance and hope to visit your city very soon so that we might become allies."

Both Sai and Sasuke nodded politely to him.

The orange-haired man gestured to the newcomers at the table, "Please introduce yourselves, my advisors."

The remaining two unknown men introduced themselves, the blue-haired one first, "My name is Kisame." His voice was gravelly and animalistic, making the hairs on my arms stick up in discomfort.

The other spoke in a similar way, "I am Kakuzu."

The remainder of the meal went as smoothly as possible, but I quickly noticed that everyone around me was drinking what appeared to be blood out of their wine glasses like Madara had at the ball the Uchihas had hosted. My drink was red, as well, and I was cautious to take a sip of it, but relaxed slightly when I realized it was simply wine.

It didn't feel appropriate to speak freely at the table and Obito eating silently seemed to confirm that suspicion, so I waited until the meal was over to approach him. My three traveling companions were nearby, chatting with the royal couple, and I could sense Sasuke keeping an eye on me so I felt safe enough to step away and formally bowed to the Uchiha cousin with a reserved grin, "It's great to see you again!"

His face was a light shade of pink, like it always was, but he still seemed happy that I'd greeted him, "I didn't think I'd see you again so soon, Sakura. How have you been doing since…?" He trailed off awkwardly, scratching the side of his neck as he averted his gaze to the ground.

Warmth spread throughout my chest and I bravely took one of his hands in between both of mine, "My injuries have completely healed, thank you."

His blush deepened, but he lowered his voice, "Are you sleeping any better?"

It was my turn to blush and I slowly released his hand so I could nervously clasp my fingers together, "It's getting easier."

Both of us were silent for a moment and I was forced to look back up at his face. When our eyes met, he offered me a reassuring grin, "You're much stronger than me, so I'm sure you'll recover with time."

I nodded, feeling much more at ease knowing my friend believed in me so firmly.

Soon it was late at night and I lay in bed debating if it'd be okay to sneak over to Sasuke's room. It's not like I was worried the royals would be offended that I didn't want the room they've offered, but I was too scared to go out in the hall alone. In Konoha, almost every time I'd wandered out into the halls during the night, bad things would follow.

I tossed and turned for what felt like hours before I heard a light knock on the door to the large room. I jumped out of bed, fear sending shivers down my limbs as flashbacks of Madara's late night visits back when I'd first arrived at the castle in Konoha shot through my mind. The memories of tattered clothing, blood, and those glowing red eyes danced across my vision, but the door cracking open pulled me from my terrified stupor.

I let out a massive sigh of relief when Sasuke's annoyed form met my eyes.

He didn't speak, but quickly closed the distance between us, pulling me down on top of him as he fell onto the bed. His long fingers wrapped in my hair as he pulled my face down to kiss me. I blinked in surprise at his sudden actions, but welcomed the pleasurable feelings that they brought. His free hand gripped my hip tightly, but I didn't mind. My hands danced greedily down his chiseled torso, enjoying the way his muscles felt under his shirt.

"You're dreaming about me."

My eyes shot open suddenly and I looked over to see Sasuke laying next to me under the covers, turned onto his side with his head propped up on his elbow so he could watch me. There was a slight hint of amusement in his expression.

My face burnt brightly and I covered my face with my hands, lying despite knowing it was useless, "No!"

I felt his cold skin against mine as he pulled me against his chest and I could just imagine the knowing smirk across his flawless face, "Then who were you dreaming about that has this effect on your body?"

I shook my head against his chest and he pulled back to give me a playful glare, "I can get quite jealous."

A small grin forced itself onto my lips and I bravely brushed my nose against his, "I know."

Our lips came together to dance and after a minute or two, the longing in my lower regions was beginning to get harder to ignore. Large hands gently brushed my hair away from my face when I pulled back with a bright red blush, "Would it be rude to…"

His dark eyes widened slightly in surprise and he let out a small chuckle, "When did you get so confident?"

I rolled on top of him and rolled my hips against him with a shy grin, "It's your fault. If you weren't so good at it, then I wouldn't want it so much."

The bulge in his pants started to harden slightly.

"Is this alright?"

He put his hands behind his head and watched me with amused eyes as I expertly pulled his member out and ran a hand up and down it so it'd harden the rest of the way, "Of course."

I rolled my eyes before gently rising up on my knees so I could steadily slide him inside of me, moving my underwear to the side instead of taking them off. Once my body adjusted to the intrusion, I slowly rolled my hips against him with my hands firmly against his toned abdomen. His shirt was still on, but it'd risen up slightly so I could see his v-muscles tight under his tan skin.

A few moments passed as I moved atop him and he silently allowed me to do what I wanted. My face heated up as I met his eye and realized his smirk had faded and his familiar aroused expression had taken its place, not to mention his eyes had started to glow like they always do when we're in the thick of it. He brought his hands down from behind his head and slid them under my nightgown to get a firm hold on my hips before steadily starting to move up to meet my body halfway.

A shock of pleasure came up my body and a moan came from us both. Sasuke suddenly sat up beneath me, his chest pressed against mine, and I froze.

He spoke softly like he had before I'd pretty much jumped his bones, "Someone will hear."

I nodded in understanding and clamped my teeth together with the intention of keeping any sounds quiet. We began moving once more and I had to put a real effort into not moaning. In the next few moments, he slowly pulled my gown off over my head and I unbuttoned his shirt.

This was different from the other day in the bath. That had been wild and uncontrollable, but this was nothing like that. His eyes never left mine and the mood in the room was unlike it's ever been before while we're doing something like this, not even during the first time after the wedding.

Calloused fingers gently brushed against my skin and I fought the urge to close my eyes in pleasure because I didn't want to go a moment without seeing his beautiful face.

What caused him to suddenly act this way? Is it because of how casually I'd instigated sex this time around or was it something else entirely? This entire trip, he's been upset with me, but the way he was looking at me now was new. The expression on his face was one I've never seen before. Could it be…Was he feeling as head over heels for me as I am for him right now?

I was torn from my thoughts when another wave of pleasure coursed through me and felt myself tighten around him in response. A small noise managed to escape my mouth and my face warmed when he suddenly cupped my face with one hand.

I couldn't help but blurt out the only words that'd been swirling around in my mind since the moment this whole encounter had started, "I love you."

His movements beneath me stopped and his other hand came up to cup the other side of my face. My eyes widened and I worried he didn't like what I'd done, saying something so intimate, but the look on his face said otherwise. Bright red eyes studied my own for a moment before he calmly leaned in to kiss me.

After a moment, we gradually started moving again and his hands left my face. One of them pressed against the curve of my back to keep my chest pressed against his and the other wrapped in my hair. My fingers shook with effort to control myself, but I gently ran them up the front of his body before firmly letting them hold his shoulders to keep me grounded.

The difference in the size of our frames was suddenly brought to my attention for some reason. I felt so small in his strong arms, but felt safe and secure.

I could feel his passion as wave after wave of pleasure started to pulsate through me, bringing me ever closer to release. His member was starting to twitch and throb inside me as we continued our slow and steady movements, so I could tell he was also getting close.

Moments passed and just as I was thrown over the edge, he pulled back to rest his forehead against mine so we could look one another in the eye. My mouth opened slightly as my insides shook and quaked around him, my grip on his shoulders tightening. A heat spread within me the moment he stopped moving and his hold on my body became more firm.

His breath hit my face as he let out a sigh of relief moments later and I leaned in to kiss him once more. I didn't want to move from that spot for the rest of my life. At that moment, I felt completely happy and sensed that he was also content.

It came as a surprise to me that I was able to fall asleep after such an intimate encounter, not to mention in a strange bed in an unfamiliar city. He'd held me against his chest and gently ran fingers up and down my back as I drowned in his scent, so maybe it shouldn't come as that much of a shock.

It felt like he'd finally accepted me, fully and completely. He'll likely not change a thing in the way he acts, but I could sense a difference in his demeanor that others might not be able to.

Without words, he'd convinced me that he loved me, too.