After such an extremely eventful night, things went surprisingly back to normal for the next week. Ino, Mikoto, and I were so busy reverting the castle back into its usual black decorated-ness instead of the blue and red from the ball that I was too exhausted to try and interact with Sasuke at all. I thought things would pick up pace after everything we did, but it was quick the opposite. As soon as I was finished bathing and my head hit that pillow, sleep would take me far away.
The Subaku siblings, Temari included, left after that day so they could prepare for the festival we had been invited to attend. We hadn't really been given too many details on what type of festival it would be, but I couldn't care less so long as Gaara and Kankuro didn't try anything unwelcome with me or Ino. Kankuro had expressed a mild interest in my twin sister despite her being "claimed" by Sai and even being threatened by the Uchiha prince to stay away. It seemed that the Subaku royal really just loved women and liked to cause trouble. Ino and I agreed that he was attractive in a similar way that Naruto was, but there was no way in hell either of us would ever be interested in him even if he was a human. He was simply too much of a playboy.
I'd also learned that Karin was not a vampire, but a succubus, or someone that feeds off of sexual energy instead of regular food or blood. Given her appearance and general demeanor, that made an amazing amount of sense. I'd overheard Sai telling Ino that the redhead had been caught twice already by the Militia trying to break into the castle since that night we'd fought. I didn't want to know what she was planning to do if and when she made it past them.
Naruto had sent me a letter to fill me in on what was happening outside of the castle walls. Apparently our house had finally been repaired in full, thanks to him and his father, so Mom was living alone and refused to leave for any reason other than to visit the church. His mother, Kushina, has been sending groceries over to her once a week to make sure she doesn't starve, but isn't sure if she is actually eating them or not. On a more surprising note, Naruto says that he and Hinata have been exchanging letters quite regularly and they plan on meeting again in person soon. I was equally happy and worried for the pair. It was obvious they held mutual feelings for one another, but it was her family that made me uneasy. What would they do to Naruto or maybe even Hinata if they found out?
Despite my best efforts to avoid him, Madara still found little moments here and there where he could get me alone long enough to taunt me by reminding me that Obito was still in chains in the cellar and that he could release him at any moment or that Sasuke still hasn't realized the truth about what had happened down there to begin with. To my great relief, he hadn't taken any of those chances to feed on me again. I was almost grateful that we'd be going to Sunagakure for a few days and he wouldn't be coming along. That's one less problem to worry about whilst worrying about the hundred other ones.
The one month anniversary of me arriving at the castle came and went and the next morning I awoke with Sasuke's arm wrapped around my waist, which was becoming the new norm. He seemed to notice my awakening and tightened his grip around me. I felt the firmness of his muscles even through my gown, a small dusting of heat rising to my cheeks as I greedily enjoyed the sensation. "Good morning…"
My voice was still groggy from sleep and Sasuke replied with his usual grunt of acknowledgement. I'd grown incredibly used to him not being as talkative as I am and have even started to be able to figure out what each little sound he often responds with means. To others, it may seem that he is annoyed and doesn't want to respond to me, but I've realized that he just isn't as expressive as others and am doing my best to respect his comforts. He doesn't seem to mind me talking so much more than him, so I accept him the way he is instead of trying to change him.
Once we're all freshened up and at the breakfast table with the rest of the family, Fugaku surprised me by speaking, "You will be leaving for Sunagakure at noon today. I trust I do not need to remind you all how important it is that you do nothing to upset our allies." He was speaking to his three sons directly and Ino and I indirectly. His voice was as gruff and serious as usual, his words straight to the point and borderline threatening. Itachi was the only one to respond verbally, "Yes, Father." My heartbeat quickened with nervousness. How would we be travelling? How far away is Suna? Would it take a long time for us to arrive? Ino and Sai glanced at each other and shared a small smile, making one appear on my lips as well. The couple had grown on me, I had to admit. Despite my absolute terror that I would most likely be killed before Madara would let me return to my previous life, it seemed apparent that Sai would do anything to protect my sister and she honestly has never looked more happy. My biggest relief was that she hasn't experienced any of the terrible things that I have throughout the past month.
Once breakfast was finished, Mikoto shooed Ino and I away from helping her tidy up the dishes so we could pack for the trip. Before I knew it, we were escorted by the militia to a large vehicle with dark windows. A small truck was behind it with everyone's luggage. I had never been in a motorized vehicle and my nerves were bundled in a giant not inside my stomach. Not long after the vehicle started moving did I start to get restless. Itachi was sitting up front with the driver, Ino and Sai were in the middle row seating, and Sasuke and I were sitting in the back row.
I tried very hard to ignore Ino and Sai's flirting, adjusting my hands in my lap for what felt like the hundredth time when Sasuke's rough hand suddenly pulled one of mine into his own. I looked over at him in surprise since he's not normally one to show affection like that. Hell, we hadn't even kissed once since that night. I often had a hard time convincing myself that it had actually happened and wasn't just some fever dream. He kept his usual hard glare out the window. A small smile tugged at my lips and I turned to lean my head against the window on my own side, letting his small act of kindness calm my anxiety. Before I could tell that I'd fallen asleep, I was awoken by someone shaking my shoulder lightly. My eyes crept open and I felt my pupils shrink by the sheer brightness of the world around me.
Gone were the cloudy skies and dull trees and here was an endless sea of sandy colored buildings decorated with vibrant flags and paint with a wide desert for a backdrop. A sweat dusted my forehead as soon as my shoes hit the ground. The sun was bright and unforgiving up above and the temperature was incredibly higher than that of Konoha. A group of tan, muscular men with guns approached us and I instinctively inched closer to Sasuke. Once they were standing a yard or so in front of our small group, they parted to make way for none other than Temari. We all exchanged bows of respect before she motioned wordlessly for us to follow her. The group of armed men loosely surrounded our group and I had trouble ignoring them. Not one of them wore a facial expression or looked around. It's like they were robots or something. Citizens clad in loose and colorful fabrics bowed eagerly as their princess and a group of obvious outsiders passed them by.
To my shock, many of the women wore sheer fabrics with nothing underneath so the world could see all that their bodies had to offer. My face burnt red with a mixture of reactions to the heat and the culture shock. After what felt like an hour of us trekking through the large desert town, we finally approached a large castle that was made of a tan stone. It didn't impress me as much as the Uchiha castle, but it was still quite beautiful. Thankfully, it was a bit cooler indoors and we were led to an extravagant room where Gaara was sitting on a large throne with Kankuro standing casually a few feet away.
It amazed me how Gaara's skin was so glaringly pale despite living in such a bright place. Even his two siblings had tanned skin. He was clad in an elegant pair of teal and tan pants and a sheer coat with no clothing underneath. I thought he had seemed very thin when I'd met him in Konoha, but he did have decent muscles showing humbly to his guests. Kankuro was wearing a similar outfit, albeit his was just a dark brown color that almost matched his hair. He was extremely muscled, which didn't surprise me given his personality and ego. He very much seemed the type to brag about and show off his muscles to try and impress women. Said prince stepped forward excitedly upon our arrival, "Welcome! It's good to see you ladies!" Temari cleared her throat at him and he rolled his eyes, "and you Uchihas, too." We all bowed in silence, Sai and Sasuke both already looking like they wanted to choke him.
I tried to avoid Gaara's unwavering stare, but accidentally met it and quickly looked away to my feet with a red face. We hadn't spoken or even seen each other since he'd pretty much confessed his feelings, whether of sexual or actual emotional attraction I'd yet to figure out, to me in the garden. Would things be awkward now? Hopefully he wouldn't bring it up during our visit. "I trust the trip over was pleasant. Welcome to Sunagakure." Gaara's gravelly voice made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, despite it being incredibly hot under the heavy black dress I was wearing. Temari stepped forward as though she was studied at this type of visit, "Please, Haruno Sisters, follow me so that we may dress you in some more appropriate attire." I gave Sasuke a nervous glance before joining hands with Ino and following the blond vampire princess out of the room.
Ino didn't seem nervous and also seemed to still hold a distaste for the Subaku woman. She glared openly at the back of her head as she led us through hall after winding hall until we finally arrived in what appeared to be a type of spa. A small group of beautiful women greeted us eagerly and did not hesitate to pull us off to redress us in some thinner clothing. Temari sat on a small bench and studied her nail buds with a bored look on her face. She was wearing an off white opaque cloth over her breasts and a loose skirt of the same material wrapped expertly around her waist. Strappy brown sandals were on her feet. The women around me spoke in a language I didn't understand as they each worked on a different part of me. One had sprayed a light mist of something that smelt good onto my hair and was undoing the braid it was in. Another was helping me out of my dress. A third one was taking my measurements and the last one wrote them down before flitting off to a large rack of cloth and jewelry to pick out something to put on me. Ino was on the other side of the room going through what looked like the same process. I was so overwhelmed, I didn't even have time to feel embarrassed that so many strangers were seeing my naked body. At least everyone was female.
The woman from before returned and was helped by the others into a red top that was sheer except for a section across the front that was covered in a gold cloth underneath to cover my breasts. Even the sheer part, though, only went to just above my belly-button. A golden and silky cloth was fashioned into a loose fitting skirt that was above the knees in the front, but almost reached the ground in the back. White tassels adorned with rubies hung from the bottom of it and made quiet little clinking noises when I moved. Finally, a strappy pair of white and tan sandals were slid onto my feet. I felt quite uncomfortable with how much skin I was showing and tried to ignore my anxiety as the women massaged what I assumed was sunblock into every inch of my skin that was visible. When they were finally finished, I was motioned to follow Temari out of the room. Ino was finished at the exact moment that I was and I noticed that her outfit was identical to mine, but instead of red and gold, hers was purple and pearl. Her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail with just her bangs hanging down. The look actually suited her quite well and I wondered why she hadn't worn her hair like that before. Thankfully they'd left my hair down and wavy because I didn't want my big forehead standing out.
Temari let out a sigh before we turned into a random room among the long hallway. She lazily motioned for us to head inside before turning on her heel and leaving us. Ino and I shared a glance before pushing past the green cloth in the doorway. Standing in the room was none other than Gaara and not a single other person. I felt my heart drop in my stomach and forced myself to appear confident as he walked around us with a studying gaze, like a lion circling its prey. My whole body was burning with anxiety and I jumped as his rough voice broke the silence, "Take the blond one to her room." One of the muscular guards from before appeared from outside the doorway and led Ino away. We shared a look of panic and before either of us could object, they were gone.
It was then just Gaara and me. I tried to maintain that confident look from before, but wavered when I turned back forward and saw that the king had come to a standstill just a foot or so in front of me. My body naturally moved to take a step or two back, but his voice interrupted the movement, "Do not move away." Our eyes locked and the fear that I'd felt in the garden that night returned. I tried to stop my limbs from shaking in fear, but struggled to hide it. "You still fear me despite the fact that I have proven my self control to you multiple times. Can you explain this to me?"
His eyes danced over my body in an odd way, like he was searching for something in particular and not as though he was being sexual about it. My mouth opened as I tried to find an answer, but I couldn't figure out how to respond, "I-I-I…" One of his hands shot up so quickly that I didn't even see it happen and firmly gripped my jaw, his thumb brushing surprisingly gently against my lips as I snapped my mouth shut in shock. My legs finally gave out from under me and the rug underneath me cushioned my knees from being too damaged. Gaara crouched down as I fell, calculating eyes never missing even the slightest movement.
"You are still unclaimed, as well." It was not a question, but a statement. Oh, no! Does he think that means he can do as he pleases since Sasuke "hasn't made his move yet", in the words of Kankuro? Surely he wouldn't do anything so soon after our arrival. His calloused hand moved from my jaw to the crease between my neck and shoulder. He moved my hair away from the spot almost robotically before leaning toward me further. My hands shot up in terror and pushed against his bare chest before I could control them. His eyes locked onto mine and were suddenly emitting a familiar red glow. Oh shit.