Chapter 21

We traveled through the entire night. Multiple times, we were almost caught by whoever or whatever was still tracking our movements. By the time the sun began to rise, and we could see the outline of Sunagakure on the horizon, I was dead on my feet.

One moment I was staring down at my bare feet as I carried my shoes and felt the cold sand between my toes, and the next, I was being picked up. A slight, surprised sound escaped me, and I saw Sasuke staring straight ahead.

Just as it seemed that I'd be able to relax and that we were out of danger's way, a jolt of panic shot up my spine to snap me fully awake again.

"Something's coming!" I hissed quietly.

Before either man could respond, thick black strands of some sort shot out from beneath the thick sand to wrap around both Sasuke and Madara's ankles. Then it pulled their legs out from under them, resulting in me being dropped.

I struggled to land and whipped around to see what was happening. Madara was cussing and trying to tear what I now realized were massive threads, to no avail, while Sasuke did the same in a more composed manner.

The fact that they were both in danger seemed to put my body in motion before I could even process what I wanted to do. I realized multiple figures were approaching in the distance, three to be exact, but I still sprinted toward my two masters being dragged their way. Just as I got close enough to see that it was three more of Amegakure's advisors, the pressure under the sand caught my attention, and I shot backward to avoid the small explosion that then erupted.

"Come with us, and we won't hurt your precious Uchihas," Kisame said, his sharp teeth glistening as he smiled.

My senses heightened with my anger, and I dodged a line of thread that shot out of the sand in an attempt to grab onto me, "Let them go, and I won't hurt you."

Deidara and Kakuzu, the other two attacking us, don't look too thrilled to be here, but Kisame seems ecstatic, "Come and get them, then."

Both Uchiha men were in the process of being tied up with even more threads but were actively tearing at them. Kakuzu seemed focused entirely on keeping them contained, so the other two came forward to meet me halfway. I ducked under Kisame's broad reach when he tried to tackle me and jumped over a small white bomb that Deidara tossed down at me right after, sliding to the ground at Sasuke's side and ripping at the threads with all my might.

He looked just as surprised as our three attackers but snapped out of it a moment later, his eyes glowing brightly into mine, "Stop!"

My body froze. I can't disobey an order from him.

A thread shot through my shoulder from behind me, blood splattering around us as I bit back a cry of pain. A realization came over the prince, who shook his head, "No, move!"

Another thread came toward me, and I knew I couldn't dodge it, but I was surprised when I was shoved to the side. With a hand to my heavily bleeding shoulder, I rolled with the fall before turning to see Madara'd been impaled in my place, the thread passing through one of his palms as he used the other to assist Sasuke in breaking out of his bindings.

The older Uchiha royal's eyes locked onto mine, and he spoke surprisingly calmly, "Sakura, now's the time to lose control and kill them."

Terror rose in my blood for barely a millisecond before I unwillingly obeyed his command. White hot rage seeped into my very skin, and the deep color of blood coated my vision. As quick as lightning, I shot towards Kakuzu and tackled him to the ground, nails digging into his skin as I clawed and slashed wildly at whatever parts of him I could reach.

He didn't just lay there and take it; some animalistic sounds left my mouth when multiple threads shot through my body, but I kept fighting. I had no choice because one of my masters told me I had to. Blood dripped heavily onto the man from my wounds before he finally either passed out or died; I wasn't sure in my delirious state.

With that target appearing dealt with, I saw Madara facing Kisame and Sasuke facing Deidara, the former seeming worse for wear than the prince. Kisame was my closest foe, and I pounced onto his back eagerly.

My arms wrapped around his neck, and I prepared to pull as hard as possible so I could decapitate him, but the massive vampire just laughed, "You won't kill me that easy, little princess!"

Strong hands reached back to grab under my arms, and then I was thrown to the ground with an incredible force, knocking the air right out of me. Being in my frenzied trance, I didn't hesitate to try and attack again but couldn't move quickly enough. Kisame stomped down with all his might to crush my ribs.

The taste of my blood rose in my throat before the blaring pain shot through me, but I still tried to kill him rather than pause for my well-being. Digging my nails into his leg, I held on for dear life since his weight was too much to overpower in my injured state, no matter how hard I tried.

Then the man was tackled off me, and I rolled over to cough up blood and struggle to my feet. Sasuke was in the process of using some of Kakuzu's forgotten threads to tie up a bloodied and beaten Deidara, so only one foe remained mobile. Madara landed hit after hit, seeming to overwhelm Kisame until suddenly it didn't anymore. The blue-skinned vampire let out a yell akin to a beast before landing a good hit to his stomach, throwing him back towards Sasuke and Deidara.

Ragged and bloody gasps of breath passed my lips as I shot toward the enraged man.

"Sakura, stop! You'll die!"

I think it was Sasuke yelling at me, but I couldn't comprehend it past Madara's orders to lose control. So, I got up after each hit and recklessly fought as I sensed both Uchiha men making their way toward us to assist in immobilizing Kisame. That is until our enemy managed to get a good grip on my throat.

Then I heard a sickening "snap!" and everything went black.

~

The moment I came to again, I tried to get up and keep on fighting. Every part of my body was aching and begging for rest, but I ripped my arms out of whoever was trying to hold me down's grasp. Then I turned and began attacking them with all my might.

"Sakura, you're safe! Stop!"

Whoever was before me somehow managed to block each of my hits but didn't even try to return them. Suddenly, I sensed multiple presences approaching me from behind and whipped around to growl at them threateningly. When the group of people didn't back off, I lifted one of my arms in front of me and gritted my teeth in focus. They flew away from me, and then a massive wave of pain throbbed at my temples.

Strong arms wrapped around me from behind in my weak moment, and the person I was attacking before tried to pin my limbs down. They fell to the ground on their back, me on top of them, "I've got her! Hurry!"

I snarled and clawed and fought to escape and kept fighting. Desperation shot through me like electricity, and I heard my bones crack as I broke them, trying to free myself. It seemed to surprise my attacker enough that I could slip through their grasp, and I sat up, my knees in the sand on either side of their lower body.

Before I could turn around to finish them off, bright eyes, even redder than my bloody vision, locked onto mine, and a familiar voice broke through the thick veil covering my senses, "Calm down."

My vision returned to normal in a snap of the fingers, and every ounce of rage and bloodlust disappeared. The breath in my throat got stuck as I realized it was Sasuke glaring at me. My eyes darted around to see more than a dozen Suna guards thrown about in various states of injury, but luckily none seemed fatally hurt.

Madara was slightly behind the prince with an unconscious Deidara slung over his shoulder. Beside the Uchihas stood none other than Gaara and Matsuri, who both seemed surprised at varying levels.

Then, in the next moment, all the pain from my injuries registered, and I fell backward as my body tried to cave in on itself in an effort to ease the ache. Something warm broke my fall, and Kankuro's familiar voice met my ears, "This isn't exactly what I expected when I heard you were different, Baby."

~

"What the hell were you thinking, telling her to lose control like that? She could've died or killed us all!"

"But she didn't. Everyone's fine, so calm down before you piss me off, Nephew."

"Can you both shut up?" I groaned out, a hand to my throbbing head as we walked through the halls of Sunagakure castle. My wounds had outwardly healed when we arrived, but I still felt like I'd been beaten within an inch of my life.

Matsuri glanced back at me and offered a smile, "I don't envy you, having two masters like this." She stopped leading us and gestured gracefully to a cloth-covered doorway, "Please take all the time you need."

The two Uchiha men went inside first, and I turned to face Gaara's fiance with a pout, "Save me…." An arm came from behind the cloth to grab my wrist, and I was pulled away.

The brunette grinned prettily, "We'll speak later, Sakura. I'm so glad to see you!"

The curtain fell closed between us, and I turned to see Sasuke pulling me behind him. We're in a big room, one with two large beds. Madara stood at the edge of one, pulling the tattered remains of his shirt off so he could inspect his torso for remaining injuries. I frowned at Sasuke when he stopped before the other and began doing the same.

He noticed and responded with a look that told me exactly what he was thinking. The things that have happened in the past week have been so crazy that he can't focus his energy solely on Madara anymore.

I can't blame him. Even I've gotten used to his irritating presence over the last twenty-four hours. This damn bond's to blame, but I'm so exhausted right now that I only want to bathe and rest.

With that thought in mind, I trudged through the arched bathroom doorway to turn the massive tub's faucet on. As it filled, I faced the mirror with my hands heavily on the stone counter. Somehow, I was still stunned when I realized no scratch remained on my skin from the battle that'd just taken place. All the blood and sand still coated most of me, but that's it. I removed my destroyed clothing and threw it all in the bin nearby.

Gingerly, I leaned closer to study my green eyes in the mirror. Earlier, when Madara forced me to lose control… It was terrifying. I don't like how it feels, not caring about anything or anyone other than blood and destruction. It's like I'm not me anymore, but some devil instead.

Every time it happens, whether it's to the extreme degree like it was today or even if it's something less, I get this sinking feeling that I'm never going to be able to grasp onto my humanity again. The moment that bloody color starts to seep over my eyes and take over my instincts, I'm left wondering if this would be the time that I finally lose control for good.

A flash of red crossed my vision, and the image distorted into a sickening, evil version of myself before returning to how it was before. I gasped in surprise, squeezing my eyes shut and turning away while holding the sides of my head.

Is that what I looked like earlier?

…Who am I kidding? Of course, it is. Tears in my eyes, I sank into a crouch to keep myself together.

I'm scared. I attacked Gaara and Kankuro, and Matsuri without a second thought. The fact that Madara ordered me to lose control doesn't even matter because I've lost control multiple times without it. Sure, Gaara still makes me a little uncomfortable, and Kankuro is annoying as hell, but I don't want to hurt them. If Sasuke hadn't been able to meet my eye right then, I might've killed one of them!

Long fingers gently wrapped around one of my wrists, and I opened my eyes to see Sasuke knelt in front of me with a solemn expression. His name left my lips in an embarrassingly weak and terrified voice, and he wiped at my tears with his other hand, pulling me slowly up to stand.

I whispered, hoping Madara wasn't eavesdropping out in the bedroom even though it's inevitable that he was, "I don't want to hurt anybody…."

The prince kissed me without saying a word, then pulled away so he could undress. The two of us got into the bath, and I forced myself to stop the tears.

It's not that things feel awkward between us because they genuinely don't; it's just that I know neither of us can make things better right now.

After scrubbing every last inch of my hair and skin of blood and sand, I crossed my arms over the side of the tub and rested my chin on top of them, closing my eyes as I let the steaming water soothe my aching muscles.

I want to drink some blood so it'll go away, and because the liquid tastes so wonderful, of course, but I'm still too new to do that with anyone other than Sasuke around. My ability to control my urges, both sexual and carnal alike, is laughable at best. Ino said it took her almost six months to adjust fully, and I have a feeling it'll take at least that for me, too.

While bathing, a maid delivered clothes for all three of us since our luggage was lost in the totaled car. With a thin bathrobe around my body, I pouted at the small clothing rack. Every single outfit was either too sheer where it'd be see-through, too revealing where my skin would simply be bare, or both.

I glanced over to see both Uchiha men were already dressed and ready to greet the Sunagakure royal family properly and sighed in defeat. There's no choice but to wear one of these and then ask Matsuri if she could find some less-revealing clothes for me. So I snatched the least risque outfit from the rack and trudged back into the bathroom to change.

It was a baby blue number with a top that was barely more than a bra and a flowy skirt that fell like flower petals to the floor around my feet. A shiny golden thread was weaved into the fabric's hem, making it look and feel regal despite a large amount of skin it left bare on my arms and midsection.

When I stepped out, I slid on one of the pairs of sandals I'd been left to choose from and wordlessly followed the other two as they led the way out of the room.

"The local fashion suits you," Madara mused casually.

I grit my teeth to stop myself from popping off with a sarcastic insult. There's no way he isn't aware of how upset I am with him right now. Sasuke was right earlier when they were arguing. It was careless, what he made me do, and he showed no regard for my well-being.

The way he treated me like some kind of weapon at his disposal left a bad taste in my mouth. I don't like the way it made me feel at all. What if, heaven forbid, he ends up hating me because I refuse to give in to this overwhelming bond and forces me to go on a murder spree out of spite? There's nothing I can do to stop him if that happens.

It's like no matter what I do or what steps I take, Madara Uchiha will win. He's always going to get what he wants, one way or another.

We arrived in the dining room around lunchtime and were greeted by the Subaku brothers and Matsuri again, more calmly this time. "It is a pleasure to welcome you to Suna once again," Gaara spoke professionally, his voice as emotionless as I remember.

All three of us bowed politely.

Kankuro broke the stoic air with a low whistle, "Hot damn, Haruno. They weren't kidding when they said you're a goddess."

A wild blush met my face, and my jaw dropped in surprise, "W-What! Who said that?"

He and Matsuri shared a knowing look, "My sister and her husband. Of course, I thought they were exaggerating, but I stand happily corrected."

Feeling bashful, I took a step closer to Sasuke, his fingers brushing against the small of my back, "That's…u-um…."

Matsuri giggled before tilting her head, "Let's eat first, and then we can talk." I nodded, swallowing nervously.

We caught up as we ate, mostly Matsuri, Kankuro, and I speaking while the other three listened. As he often does, all was going well until Kankuro ruined the mood by bringing up what happened this morning: "I gotta admit: I'm impressed by your new powers, Sakura."

My gaze dropped to my plate, and I anxiously poked at the meat with my fork, "Thank you."

Gaara spoke for the first time since the meal began, "You've not mastered them." I shook my head, a ghost of my fear from in the bathroom earlier rising as I recalled the awful memory.

"May I offer some advice?" I met his gaze in surprise, which seemed to tell him it was okay to continue.

Teal eyes danced over to the two Uchiha men at the table, "Acceptance is the first step to learning control."

The blood drained from my face, "How can you tell I haven't…?"

Matsuri responded for him, "Going against one's instincts is harmful to our kind most of the time."

That didn't really answer my question, but my blush from earlier flared up again, and I averted my gaze down again at my plate, "I would rather not speak about this kind of thing so casually if that's alright."

Thankfully no one was offended by my request, and things went back to how they were before, where we caught one another up on what's been going on since we'd been apart.