The doors of the meeting hall burst open, and varying degrees of surprise had shown on the men's faces as they looked up at the intrusion. A young blonde man was the source, his normally cerulean eyes glowing a bright blue hue. One face in particular looked completely blank aside from the slight narrowing of his eyes at the man.
"We found her!" He shouted, unable to keep his body still. The man previously expressionless stood immediately, dismissing the other men and flashing to the blonde's side.
"Take me to her." He growled, his eyes shifting from their standard onyx to a sinister crimson. The pair exited the room at inhuman speeds, racing from the castle and entering the courtyard, where a large carriage had been stopped. The horses pawed at the ground and tossed their heads impatiently as a group of men worked to relieve the beasts of their burden. Itachi could do nothing but watch as a large wooden coffin was pulled from the back, its plain features hiding the precious cargo within.
As soon as it was removed from the carriage, he stepped forward. The other men all moved away, allowing their prince a moment of privacy as he found himself reunited with a person he'd never believed he would see again. He opened the coffin slowly, suddenly nervous of what he might see.
She looked as though she was asleep. Her eyes were closed, and her skin as pale and grey as he'd ever seen it. Her normally vibrant pink hair was dull and fanned around her like a halo. His eyes narrowed as they took in the large slash across her throat. Her hands were crossed in front of her, wrists showing the same wounds. It was obvious whoever kidnapped her knew what they were doing, he thought angrily.
Pureblood vampires had no permanent death; however, they could be sent into a deep slumber not unlike death. Sakura had been drained of all the blood flowing through her, rendering her body incapable of functioning and shutting down to protect her from the outside threat. The kidnapper clearly hadn't expected her to be found, as she suffered no other damage aside from the gaping wounds on her arms and neck.
Itachi closed his eyes and let out the smallest of breaths, tension releasing at the same time. It had been twenty years since he had seen his intended. He'd never stopped searching, though after fifteen years his father demanded he stay behind and return to his duties as prince and heir to the throne. Sasuke and Sakura's brother, Naruto, had continued with the search. Idle village gossip had been heard by a local seamstress, who mentioned to Naruto a pink haired corpse that had been seen in a village far from the castle and leading to this moment.
"Get her inside. Take her immediately to the blood chambers. Alert the King and Queen about this development, as well as Sasuke." With that, he shut the cover and stormed into the castle, heading towards the same chambers as her. Two of the men who had been previously discussing among themselves scrambled toward the coffin and heaved, following the black-haired prince as the others sprinted up the stairs towards the throne room. No doubt Naruto had gone to find Sasuke as soon as he'd alerted Itachi, but the men didn't want to risk an angry vampire prince for disobeying him.
Within the chambers, Itachi watched solemnly as the servants set the coffin at his feet. "Do not breathe a word." He ordered, and with one look the men turned and sprinted from the room, obvious fear in their eyes. Being alone, he dropped his gaze back to the coffin and opened it once more, emotions he never believed he would feel again flowing through him as steadily as his blood. She was the true image of perfection and would be whole once more to stand by him. He leaned forward and lifted her body from its tomb, anger and relief flooding him as he did so.
His head dropped to rest against hers, where he stayed for a few minutes. He could hear multiple pairs of footsteps heading towards the room, but could not bring himself to move. Holding her in his arms was like waking up from a nightmare he had been thrust into for the past twenty years, one where he had no control or way of stopping it. Every day was torment, every dead end another stab into his unbeating heart.
His father insisted that he look to find a new mate; while he would never find another soul partner like he had with Sakura, he was still the heir to the throne and still needed to produce his own successor. If Itachi didn't ignore his father, he would bare his fangs and claim that he would never betray her. Sakura was the only thing that seemed to bring any emotion to the young prince; even when missing, a single mention of her name would cause his eyes to shift into their unnatural crimson color.
The doors to the chamber slammed open as his family marched inside, Naruto following suit. The guards that had followed stayed outside the door and pulled it shut behind the entourage. Naruto's eyes were glassy as he looked at the pair, still struggling to believe that she was really there. "Our parents have been notified." He uttered, not wanting to break the silence, but still feeling the tension throughout the room. Itachi pulled himself away from Sakura and nodded once in affirmation.
"We will wait for them to arrive," Fugaku replied, looking directly at Itachi. A barely perceptible tense of his shoulders was the only reaction he received, but it was enough to set him immediately into an explanation before his son blatantly ignored him and started the ritual. "Sakura will be disoriented when she awakens. It is important that she has as many surrounding her that she knows as possible to help the transition back into the living world. She has been gone for some time and must be given a proper adjustment." Itachi's jaw clenched as his father continued, but knew he was right.
Still, it was nearly impossible to think that he would have to leave his beloved in this purgatory state; not dead, but unable to live. His mother stepped forward at that time, gliding to Itachi and resting a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I know this upsets you, but it is what is best for her right now." At this, she felt the tension in his shoulders lessen slightly. He looked up at Mikoto, his red eyes swirling with emotion he was unable and unwilling to share. Glancing back down at Sakura's lifeless body, he nodded slightly, giving his acceptance at the orders to leave her be. Mikoto stepped back as Itachi stood, returning Sakura to the coffin she had arrived in.
Setting her body back down was painful, but he hid it well. The casket remained open and inside the chamber, while the other vampires exited the room, the click of the lock echoing through the hallway. The guards remain posted outside the door as they left, returning themselves to the throne room. There was silence until they arrived, where Itachi quickly dismissed himself. Sasuke followed shortly after, and Naruto remained with Fugaku and Mikoto, discussing arrangements of his sister's body.