Hello everyone, my name is Skye (my pen name, not my real name ^_^), and it a pleasure to meet you all :). This is my first fanfic, and I hope you guys enjoy my stories. I admit: I have a case of writer's block and laziness from time to time. But I will still write as best and quickly as I can. Anyway, this will be my first story, so please leave constructive criticism and positive reviews. I am curious to know your respective opinions, not your profanities and rudeness. Thank you everyone, and enjoy the first chapter of Bittersweet Aftertaste.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor anything else involved in the anime and manga.

Trying not to think about the pain of course made her think about it; however, some say pain would help one ease the suffering or hurt he or she felt.

But not for Sakura Haruno.

The more she thought about her pain, the more she wanted to scream and jump off the nearest mountain. But she was here as a servant…a mistress. A mere concubine whose only rightful place would spend her days inside a kitchen cleaning the floors, attending a royal's every needs, or under a spoiled rich man's sheets every night. Either way, she would no longer be the free 17-year old woman she was two days ago. As Sakura looked at the five fragile girls that were sitting with her in the small slave carriage, she wondered if they were once free and happy like her.

Sakura was born in a small village in the outskirts of a large kingdom. There was no specific name for this majestic kingdom, but some called it Imperial for its dominance and absolute power over the other nations and kingdoms; moreover, it was a simple yet superior name. Imperial consisted of many citizens and many creatures as well. But every single creature got along just fine. Vampires treated humans more like brothers and sisters rather than a meal, and wizards held classes to teach various races all they know about magic and sorcery. Although the vampires had been said to be bloodsucking demons, they were actually very social creatures who loved to make as many friends as possible. As for the witches: they did not spend their time in dark underground chambers brewing spells in a large boiling pot with pointed hats. Most witches were actually professors and were considered to be the smartest race in the kingdom, and they dressed like normal people.

It was quite the irony.

But the village Sakura lived in, well, it consisted of only humans. And that is exactly what she was. Now, she loved being human, but with the massacre and invasion that occurred just two days prior to her slavery, she wished she was just one race stronger to defend herself and her beloved home. The king had announced that his palace was in need of a new housekeeping and entertainment crew, and thus had sent his men out to bring selective bodies out to his home for a new staff. But Sakura's village refused to send anyone, due to the fact that the village technically not part of the king's kingdom. The king's men had gone back to him, telling the answer they had given them. Angered, the king sent out a full force of men to bring anyone who looked healthy enough to work, back to his place by force.

And kill the remaining villagers.

Sakura held back the tears as she looked at the August trees they were passing by. The memory had been too gruesome: the screams of innocent children being slaughtered, the cries of wives losing husbands, only to be killed themselves a few short seconds later. The sound and stench of flesh and houses burning in the fires would forever remain in Sakura's nose. This massacre was only for a new staff for the king and his spoiled guests. The thought made her want to vomit. Inwardly shaking her head, Sakura looked back through the wooden bars of the carriage, and back at the other two carriages that were trailing behind them.

"I am scared sister," one of the girls in the carriage whispered to the woman next to her. She hugged said woman and buried her face in her chest. The poor girl looked no older than 13, and it was obvious she had lost something precious as well. Everyone had.

"It will be okay Esperi," the older sister said softly. "We will be well and safe."

Well.

Safe.

Those two words definitely did not describe their condition. Sakura doubted those words would ever describe their conditions from now on. They were going to serve inside a palace full of God-knows-what kind of creatures.

Despite Imperial having a peaceful nature, there were rumors about the devastating interior of the palace and its royals and subjects. Blood was spilled every single day by the king, who was said to be heartless, stoic, and a murderous man who dwelled in people's deaths the crimson color dripping on his marble floors. Many feared becoming the next victim to his unusual power. One wrong move could lead to immediate death, and because of that, no one dared to disobey the king's demands for the sake of their very lives.

Or least, that was what she heard.

At first, she did not believe the rumors were true. The rumors were started by an old lady who apparently worked in the palace as the king's advisor. She was known to be a loon due to old age, but some said she was very wise, and others said she was not in her proper state of mind. The elderly woman was named Chiyo, and she was the king's grandmother. Chiyo had been an expert puppeteer in her young days, but as she aged over the years, she became distant when her older grandson, and the king's cousin, Sasori, had died in a battle. Her closest relatives and friends tried to bring her back to the social world with her friends and family, but Chiyo would deny every time they asked. A couple of months later she began to forget a few details of her memories: such as whom she used to have a crush on as a teenager, why she became a puppeteer, and even some details about Sasori. Thus, in the previous year when she turned 77, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Doctors attempted to cure the old woman of this memory loss illness, but it was incurable. Since then, Chiyo had either spent her days rambling nonsense, forgetting details of her life from time to time, or what she ate for supper the night before. It seemed the disease was gradually getting worse every day.

It would be understandable if the king gently let his grandmother go as his advisor to let her retire and rest easy, but instead, he cruelly had her thrown out since she was no longer a use to him. Chiyo had put up a fight to return to the palace, but the king's decision was final. She was homeless, had lost most of her memory, and had nowhere to go. But after several days, she ventured around towns ranting about how disturbed and possessed her grandson was and was in desperate need to be saved. But of course, people laughed at her. Chiyo had quickly earned a reputation as a loon since no one spoke for her, the reputation stood ground permanently.

And it wasn't long before the word had quickly come knocking on Sakura's door.

But said woman paid no mind. After all, they were only rumors. She did not believe anything about the king or the depressing nature inside his palace. But now that she was a victim and witness to his invasion and massacre, she was no longer certain of what to believe. What confused her more was how the king could pull it off without Imperial knowing about it. To them, he was their hero, their inspiration, and their ray of light. Sakura wondered if these massacres occurred often. If so, Imperial was as blind as a bat, and was truly run by a cruel leader. And since she did not pay attention to the recent rulers of Imperial, she did not even know his name, or what he looked like, and nor did she want to find out.

Sakura's thoughts were interrupted when she a felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked to the side and her eyes met friendly blue orbs who belonged to a gentle-framed girl who looked about Sakura's age. Her hair was a silky crème-blond color that was held in a high ponytail with a small bang hanging loose elegantly. She had kind eyes and a nice figure, and there was no doubt she was beautiful enough to be a baroness or a nymph, but her pretty face and farm clothes were covered in dirt, scars, blood that dried over the two hours they were inside the carriage. For some reason, she looked the high maintenance type despite her commoner clothes. But Sakura's mother taught her to never judge on the outside looking in when she was little. She never understood what that phrase meant, and she still did not fully understand to that day, so she figured she may as well try to figure it out with the blond teen.

"Was your home invaded too?" The blond asked softly. Her voice was as melodious as a ballerina music box.

"Yes," Sakura replied quietly. She looked past the bars that steeled her in, and at the dirt road. She turned her gaze back to the girl. "Was yours?" She asked the blond.

"Yeah, they burned down my family's farm, and our animals and crops with it," the girl said sadly. "My parents were killed, and now I am being forced into the king's home. I don't know what is going happen…I mean will we survive after this? Will we ever be free as humans again; although, most humans typically don't have much freedom where I come from. So I guess I should be used to it by now. But still, it gets old after a short while..." the girl said sighing.

Sakura looked at the girl with sympathy. "I am very sorry," was all she could say to that. The girl seemed to catch herself in her speech and regain her composure.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to ramble." The girl smiled sheepishly. "I sometimes do that whenever I get nervous. It's always been a bad habit of mine since I was a kid," she said apologetically.

Sakura chuckled a bit. "It is okay. You have a good reason to be nervous." She placed her hand on the girl's shoulder in comfort. "But, I am sure that we will be okay. After all, the king would not go through all this trouble just to kill us later," she said in assurance. She prayed that was true; otherwise, God help them all through their living nightmare.

But the girl seemed to be relieved by Sakura's statement. "You're right, there would be no way the king would try to harm us like this…I hope." She grinned. "I'm Ino Yamanaka by the way," she said outstretching her hand for a shake. Sakura took the hand and shook it politely. "Sakura Haruno, it is nice to meet you." She gave Ino a small smile that could not go any wider due to her sadness.

"Sakura…that is such a cute name! It fits you perfectly with the pink hair and stuff," Ino said grinning. "I've never met someone with that name before, and with pink hair for that matter. But I think you're the only one who could pull off that hair color. I mean it even matches the color of the flower, but it looks so pretty on you," Ino gushed.

Sakura couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. How in the world could this girl grin and chat like a gossip girl at a time like that? Here they were, enslaved for pretty much the rest of their lives, and Ino was comparing her name to the color of her hair and a flower a few minutes after she mentioned the destruction of her home, and the loss of her freedom?

It was just downright unnatural.

But Ino's talking was interrupted by the sudden halt of the carriage. Sakura and all the girls held onto the bars to prevent from falling forward. "What is going on?" Espiri asked clinging to her sister. Sakura took a peek ahead from the bars, and she was surprised at the size of the palace. She looked back at all the girls. "It seems we are here."

To say the palace was large would be an understatement.

It was a fortress.

Despite having only two stories, the amount of acres for the palace was immense, and one could easily get lost if they did not know where they were going. Two large columns of gold decorated with sand stood proud and tall outside the gates and large crystal sand balls stood on top of each column. Beyond the gates, was a wide walkway that split into two: one walkway lead to the palace, and the other curved left that lead to a smaller two story house. It was not as grand as the palace from what Sakura could tell, but it was very average and nicely decorated. The palace rested at the peak of the largest hill in Imperial, with two other neighboring hills that had part of the kingdom resting on them.

'Must be a servant's home, or something like that,' Sakura thought. Well at least it wasn't run down or degrading, so she probably wouldn't have to worry about spiders or nasty cobwebs. Sakura shook her head, shooing the absurd thought of getting comfortable in her prison away. The carriage resumed moving after they were checked in by the gate watchmen.

"Amazing, I never imagined the palace would be this big!" Ino exclaimed as she looked at the features of the palace. The other girls let their gazes wonder around the said palace murmuring words in awe and surprise. As the carriage turned left, Ino went on about how pretty the house was, but Sakura paid no mind. She wanted to go home, but her home was no more. In all honestly, she would have rather allowed herself to be killed in the massacre instead, and join her mother and younger brother. But Sakura knew she needed to quit her depressing thoughts if she was ever going to get through this. She needed to be strong and hold her head high no matter the circumstance, and that is just what she did.

Their impression and thoughts were cut short when the carriage door was unlocked and opened with a loud creak in the wood.

"Get out!" The large and well-built slave driver bellowed. The girls hurriedly climbed out the carriage, and were immediately shackled on their wrist by other slave drivers. "Let's go!" The leader yelled. The girls were yanked on the chain and were dragged up to the house. Sakura looked behind her, and the morose and tear-stained faces of the young women, and the broken and bloody faces of the young men, caused her heart to clench in pain.

'This should not happen. We should not even be here!' Sakura thought clenching her teeth.

'Kill the king! Rip him to shreds! Castrate him! Do ANYTHING! We'll make that bastard pay for what he's done to our village!' Inner Sakura roared in rage, but Sakura only shook her inner shadow away, even though she couldn't agree more.

"Come on! Move faster!" The slave drivers bellowed together as they took out their whips. The men and women whimpered and moved faster as the door opened and they entered the home. Sakura was expecting the house to look either gruesome, or as neat as its exterior. But the only thing she could see was…darkness.

There was no source of light, no sense of movement or sound coming from any hallway…if there was a hallway. The only thing that filled the house with light was the golden rays of the evening sun beaming through the door, and the only sound was feet scuffling through the door and the loud clink of chains.

The shackles were unlocked without the slave drivers touching them. Confused murmurs filled the silent house and the door shut tight, encasing the new servants inside, and leaving the slave drivers outside. "What is going on?" Ino asked in a panic. Everyone was running around as blind as a bat, and as frantic as a pack of ants being discovered by humans.

Was this a trap? Were they going to be devoured by some sort of monstrosity?

"Everyone, calm down!" Sakura exclaimed. "Running around in a panic is not going help, we have to calm down and analyze the situation."

"What situation is there to analyze?" A male voice challenged. "It's obvious we are going to be killed, or eaten! All of us are!" He shouted.

"I-I don't want to die!" A squeaky female voice said with fear evident in her tone.

Chatters of fearful statements were among the groups, but they were interrupted by the loud sound of a man chanting a Light spell.

The lights snapped open as the house was suddenly the size of a manor. Everyone stopped ranting and looked around the huge house, if it even was a house anymore. The "home" had a grand red carpet that had extended from the entrance door all the way to the back which was the dining hall from what everyone could tell. A formal chandelier hung from the ceiling motionless with candles lit. There were a few doors on the walls, and some were itching to know what was beyond those doors. Blood red drapes hung from the top of the tall rectangular windows and covered them from the sun. Two stairway cases were both on the left and right, and were curved in a light 'C' shape on each side.

"What is this place?" "Where are we?" "What is going?" Different questions echoed throughout the house, but they all blended into the same theory: they were forever trapped in the king's palace.

"Hello everyone! I welcome you into your new homes!" A deep voice greeted from above. The small crowd looked up and their gazes fell upon a handsome man standing at the top of the stair balcony wearing a black tuxedo, and a red corsage neatly pressed on. He had a charming yet dangerous appearance with his shaggy brown hair and beady eyes, and a smile that could either match an innocent angel or a deceitful demon.

Most the girls, including Ino, blushed at the mysterious handsome man, but Sakura narrowed her eyes warily. "Who are you?" She demanded. The man looked at her smiled. "I am the king's older brother, Kankurou Sabaku. We all welcome you all into your headquarters, and hope you will enjoy your stay."

"Enjoy our stay? We were forced out of our homes after your brother had them burned down, and our families decimated mercilessly! And you expect us to 'enjoy our stay' in this monster's home?" Sakura shouted with the others shouting in agreement. "Now now, there is no need to get all rowdy," Kankurou said raising his hands in a pacifying gesture. "I can understand the pain you all are going through, but please understand that my brother is harmless. He isn't a monster." His attempt to calm the angry slaves down was cut short when the shouts and protests were getting louder.

Kankurou groaned rubbed his temples. If peace was going to get him nowhere, then so be it. He didn't have time to deal with these annoying humans, and he already had a meeting in 40 minutes with his brother and the council, and if he didn't get this job done, Gaara was sure to have his head. Or heart. Whatever would suit his little brother's taste for the day.

Kankurou shuddered at the thought of losing his life…again. He already lost his life countless times thanks to either Gaara, or their older sister Temari. But since he was one of the Immortal, he always came back from his deaths or crucial injuries. And to that day he was used as a punching bag for both his siblings and their short tempers.

And of course, there were those times when Kankurou he had been an only child because of that.

Pushing his random thoughts aside, he placed his hands on the golden rail of the balcony.

"QUIET!" He bellowed with a strong command in his voice. The walls rumbled like an earthquake, and Sakura and everyone else were silenced immediately.

"Now, where was I?" Kankuro asked scratching the back of his head.

"Um…you were talking about our staying," Ino said quietly, but Kankurou heard her like she was talking in his ear.

"Right, thanks sweetie. Anyways, we hope you all enjoy your stay, and we will give you the best hospitality we possibly can give you all," Kankurou said with a wink to the ladies.

"Hospitality? Those freakishly huge guys had us chained and dragged into this place!" A young man shouted. "We were forced into a cramped carriage, and you have the nerve to offer us your hospitality and expect us to go along with it?" Kankurou was a bit taken aback from the outburst. Then he sighed and rubbed his temples.

'I told those idiots to bring them in with no one in pain, not bring them in with everyone in chains!' He thought irritated by the slavedrivers' stupidity. Honestly, where did his advisers find those dumb brutes?

"I'm sorry about that, it seems those guys are apparently hard in hearing when it comes to taking orders," Kankurou said with genuine apology in his voice. "But I'll deal with them later. Anyhow, when you are brought back from your summoning, you may choose a room that is too your liking. Have a great day, and enter the west wing at your own risk!" With those final words Kankurou vanished in a mist of black sands leaving the group standing by themselves in a herd. Everyone shrunk in fear from the warning, though they glared at the spot where Kankurou was standing when they heard his voice echo, "Heheh, I've always wanted to say that..."

"What does he mean by summoning?" Ino asked turning to Sakura. Said woman had a fierce fire in her eyes with her fists clenched with her mouth in a firm thin line. "Sakura, are you okay?" Ino asked with concern for her new green-eyed friend. "Something is not right," she said lowly.

Sure enough, the lights snapped off.

"What is happening now?" A few people shouted in panic. "What kind of place is this?"

The lights flashed open again and the groups of servants were now in the center of a throne chamber.

"Hello," a deep voice as fine as rich silk said from behind. Everyone turned around and was now face to face with the mysterious king, the man responsible for their families' deaths and their imprisonment.

This was it, and there was no turning back or running away. They were stuck with their heartless captor, and they were his slaves and new toys, and possibly, his new victims to abuse and murder. One by one the humans were paralyzed in fear from the thought of the king murdering them for his sickening pleasure.

As if his hard and stone cold sea foam green eyes weren't enough to fear.

Everyone braced themselves for the future that was ahead for them in the environment that was to become their new home.

"Welcome to Suna."

Everyone slightly shuddered from the king's eerily calm greeting, but a similar thought crossed their mind:

Where the hell was Suna?

~We would rather be ruined than changed;
We would rather die in our dread
Than climb the cross of the moment
And let our illusions die.~

-W.H. Auden