Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Sanguine
def. 1. happy, hopeful; 2. crimson, blood-soaked.
Chapter 4
Companion
The black of night faded away as the sun ascended the horizon. It washed away the black and blue shades that stained the sky, and replaced it with vivid hues of red and yellow. Sasori and Sakura were standing together at the palace gates. The both of them were wrapped in their cloaks, their stallions positioned besides them.
A month had finally gone by, and the two of them were ready to depart for their mission. Sakura had successfully gained back the majority of her strength and stamina through her grueling training sessions with Sasori. Her hair had also regained its beautiful pink pigmentation, and her emerald colored eyes were a lot livelier compared to when she had first arrived a month ago.
Standing before them was Tsunade and Shizune, both women still dressed in their nightgowns. Despite it being the early hours of the morning, they did not wish to let Sakura and Sasori go without saying goodbye.
Tsunade gently wrapped her arms around Sakura. "Be safe," She murmured. "Come home safe."
Sakura smiled lightly and nodded against Tsunade's bosom. It saddened her to be separated from her mother once more, but she knew deep down that her mother's despair reached an endless depth compared to hers. The pinkette's arms wrapped around the queen's waist. "I will," She softly replied, giving a reassuring squeeze. "I'll be home soon."
Nearby, Sasori watched as the mother and daughter embraced each other. He was quickly reminded of a similar scene a month ago, when Sakura had arrived home from imprisonment. 'She definitely looks better now compared to a month ago.' He mused, his mind rewinding back to the thin and bitter girl that he met in the cell. The red-headed prince let out a quiet, yet satisfied huff. The snarky Konoha princess didn't know it, but he had been regulating the food she had been eating the past month. From giving recipes to the cooks, to making the food himself and getting Shizune to give it to the girl, he made sure that she was fed properly. Now she was healthier, and he was glad for that. After all, he'd rather her not die early during their mission.
His mind then wandered off to the previous night, to when he had unintentionally eavesdropped on a conversation between Sakura and her past flame. Every time the Uchiha clan was mentioned, the princess would react oddly and rather aggressively. From the cell room when Itachi had introduced himself to her, to the training session he had with her the previous day, when he had brought up the topic of Uchiha Madara. At first, he thought it was a coincidence and that she was simply being temperamental. It was peculiar, he thought, yet it all slowly began to add up. Now, he realized, that the cause of her aggression was one Uchiha Sasuke.
Sasori replayed in his mind the way Sakura had vehemently blamed Sasuke the night before. 'But for what?' He asked himself, his brows knitting together. 'What did the younger Uchiha do to incite her anger?'
The crevices of his mind was filled up with different theories as he tried to figure out the human puzzle that stood a few feet away from him.
'What happened before her incarceration?'
From the corner of his eye, Sasori saw Shizune approaching him with a wrapped package in her hands. "What's that?" He asked, curiously eyeing the parcel.
"Medical supplies, water, and some snacks for the journey." Shizune beamed, "The both of you will be traveling for almost a week, so I prepared this for you." With that said, she offered the package to him, to which he gladly accepted.
"Thank you," He chuckled, "But I doubt this will even last us a day, especially with her big appetite." He gave a pointed look to the pinkette, who was just about to pull away from her mother.
Shizune laughed. "I suppose so."
Tsunade and Sakura trudged towards them. "I heard that, by the way." Sakura flatly said, giving him an equally flat stare.
"Oh, did you?" Sasori flippantly replied. He turned away and began to strap Shizune's package onto his horse's saddle. "It's the truth though. You do eat like a mammoth."
"Go to hell."
Tsunade and Shizune chuckled to themselves. If only their sassy princess knew who had been feeding her the past month.
Several hours had gone by, and judging by the positioning of the sun, Sasori guessed that it was around the tenth hour. The two of them had been trekking down a road within a vast forest, occasionally stopping by streams to rest and have a quick drink. The first time they made a stop was an hour after they had left the vicinity of Konoha, which was around the seventh hour of the day. Sakura had gotten hungry and had grabbed Shizune's package from his saddle. Sasori didn't blame her; they had left without eating breakfast. And so, having been as famished as her, he ate with her.
To their dismay, they had finished the water and snacks that Shizune had provided them. In all honesty, Sasori wanted to kick himself. "Forget lasting us a day," He grumbled under his breath. "It didn't even last us two hours."
"Don't blame me," Sakura shrugged, nonchalantly waving her hand. "Can't call me fat if you ate with me too."
Sasori groaned. The red-headed prince closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. They had agreed to meet Itachi within a week, yet their rations were already done within the first hour of the trip. He could always opt to hunt the wildlife, but frankly speaking, he didn't want to put that much effort into searching for food. He could survive without food for a day. Sakura on the other hand... He was sure as hell his princess companion was too lackadaisical to even think about hunting the wildlife.
What bothered him the most, was the idea of being late. He hated waiting for others, but he absolutely despised being late himself the most. How could one be snippy about tardiness, when he himself was tardy? What the hell was he going to tell Itachi? 'Sorry we're late, your princess was starving and was too lazy to go hunting so I had to feed her myself.' Sasori inwardly scoffed. The normally stoic Uchiha man would surely laugh at him.
"How about this," He suddenly said, eyes open again. "There's a town not far from here. Let's stop there, restock, and then rest for the night." He suggested.
Sakura hummed as she took his suggestion into consideration. The idea of having a bed to sleep on for the night was very, very appealing to her. "Let's do that."
It took them another hour of travelling through the forest to reach their destination. The town was fairly large in size, but not as enormous compared to Konoha. Each dwelling was constructed out of wood, the roofs made out of red tiles. As Sakura looked around, she noticed small boutiques on every block, ranging from clothing to delicate jewelry. Every other establishment was either an inn, a tavern, or a weapons shop. Despite the town being small in size, the townspeople were just as energized as the people at the capital. It amazed Sakura to see how happy the people were. 'How do they do that?' She inwardly grumbled.
She called to her red-headed travel partner, who rode his horse beside her. "So what's the plan?"
Sasori hummed as he looked around. "Let's find an inn first," He murmured. "Then we can shop for our supplies and whatnot."
Even though he had said that, they had quite a difficult time finding an inn with an available room for them. After their visit to the second inn, the owner was kind enough to inform them that it was touring season. After the third inn, and then the fourth, they finally came upon one that had a vacant room.
"A room for me," An irritated Sasori pointed out the window, his finger hovering on Sakura, who was patiently waiting outside with their horses. "And for her."
"Ah," The innkeeper nodded. "For you and your wife?"
"She's not my w-"
"You're quite lucky, young lad," The innkeeper hummed, flipping through his book. "I have one last vacant room."
Sasori sighed, his shoulders slowly drooping from exhaustion. 'To hell with it.' Then he said, "I'll take it."
"Then I shall prepare the room for you right away," As the innkeeper said that, he humbly bowed his head.
"Thank you," Sasori mumbled, handing several coins over to the innkeeper. "We need to do some quick shopping, so we'll be back later."
With that said, he left the inn to inform the pink-haired girl waiting outside. Afterwards, they left behind their mares at the inn's stable. With their traveling packs on them and cloak still intact, the royal-blooded duo began to venture the town by foot. Remembering that he had gotten a glimpse of the current time from the inn's clock, Sasori turned to Sakura. "It's noon," He started. "Let's eat, before we do anything else." After all, it had been almost five hours since they feasted on the snacks Shizune had provided them. Their supplies could wait a few more hours.
"Agreed," Grinned Sakura.
Minutes later, they found a tavern. The establishment was quite lively, as it was bustling with hungry civilians that were ready to have their midday meal. Waitresses were seen making beelines from one table to another, swiftly taking each patron's order, along with delivering the tavern's cuisine. Sakura's nose wrinkled in dismay as she witnessed several men chugging liquor out of their large glass mugs.
The two of them were now quietly dining on the food they had ordered.
"So," Sakura began, chewing on a piece of sauced up meat. "Where are we meeting Itachi again?"
"At the border of Rain Country."
The pinkette's brows knitted together. "Rain Country?" She repeated.
"That's right," Nodded Sasori. "That's where the organization is based, and where we will carry out our mission." He took a sip of water from his cup and then continued, "While you participate in the battle royale, Itachi and I will continue to hunt for clues about Madara's whereabouts."
"Diligent, aren't you?"
"Diligent and meticulous," Sasori smirked, "That's how we've survived without getting caught these past six years."
"I applaud you, dear prince. Your hard work and dedication is highly appreciated."
"Why, thank you, dear princess."
An amused huff escaped Sakura, her emerald eyes filled with mirth. She didn't know why, but she found her banters with the red-haired prince to be quite enjoyable, even if he came up to be the winner majority of the time. Yet, it didn't bother her that he was winning most of their verbal altercations. After all, no one had bit back the way he did so far, and that delighted her.
Sasori on the other hand, was equally amused. The princess that sat before him never ceased to amaze him. Where other girls were demure and had a hobby of picking flowers, Sakura was bold, and had a knack for handling weapons made for killing. As much as he hated to admit it, he quite enjoyed her companionship.
"Well," Sasori cleared his throat. He settled down his eating utensils and took another sip of water from his cup. "I believe it is time we leave."
Sakura agreed.
After Sasori had paid, he inquired about the marketplace to the tavern owner. Once the directions were given, the two of them departed and made way to their new destination. Upon arriving, they saw many vendor stalls, each and every stall set with a sole purpose of selling products harvested from nature and livestock. Every other stand sold shiny jewelry and trinkets.
They went from one stall to another, purchasing fruits, bread, and cheese. Sakura had snagged a coin from him and managed to buy herself a small bag of chocolate, to which Sasori exasperatedly rolled his eyes.
As Sasori was in the middle of purchasing two large jugs of water for their travels, Sakura heard cheering and hooting a few distances away. Curious, she left his side and began to walk towards the noise. 'What's going on?'
She found herself among a crowd of cheering spectators, all watching a public spar between two men. The men were both wearing basic tunics and pants, however one had a bandanna around his forehead, while his opponent had a prominent scar on his face.
Standing beside her, an old man muttered to her, "Is this yer first time seein' somethin' like this young lady?"
Sakura blinked. "I suppose," She said, feigning innocence. The stranger didn't have to know who she really was, or what she carried underneath her cloak. "Who are they?" She asked, pointing to the two brawling men.
"Ah," He hummed. "A travelor, I see." He then pointed to the man with the bandanna. "That lad over there, Hanamura Dai, is quite popular if I do say so myself, bein' one of the top street fighters in town." Then he pointed to the man with the scar on his face. "However his opponent, Iga Ranshou, is a war veteran."
Dai closed his fist and pumped strength into it. He swung his arm back before aiming his fist directly at his opponent's face. To his dismay, his opponent was swift enough to dodge it by simply sidestepping.
Ranshou grabbed onto Dai's extended arm with one hand, and with the other he slammed an open palm against Dai's stomach. As Dai heaved over from the impact, Ranshou's fingers curled inwards, the fabric of Dai's tunic enclosed tightly in his palm. Then he hoisted Dai up into the air and proceeded to drop the younger man onto the ground.
The crowd cheered once more as Dai's body met the ground. He coughed several times before quickly rolling away, dodging relentless kicks from Ranshou. His fingers dug into the ground, gathering dirt into his palms. He threw his arm upwards, the dust flying out of his palms and into Ranshou's eyes.
As Ranshou blinked away the dust, Dai took advantage of the opportunity he had created to lift himself off of the ground. While his opponent was still distracted, Dai charged at him, delivering a straight kick to Ranshou's chest and sending him flying a few meters away.
"Impressive."
Sakura whipped her body around and came face to face with Sasori. After the red-headed prince seemingly lost his princess companion, he had went around the marketplace in search for her. That was, until he came upon the excessive cheering emanating from the crowd that surrounded the two brawling men, and spotted his target within the crowd.
"Isn't it, young lad?" The old man beside them chuckled. "If ye want to see somethin' even better though, I do recommend ye visit the Sparrow Tavern later t'night."
Sasori and Sakura met eyes before turning their attention back onto the old man. "What do you mean?" Sasori slowly asked.
"In the basement of the Sparrow Tavern," The old man began, "A competition is held once a month."
Sakura perked up, her interest piqued.
"The best fighters in town along with travelin' mercenaries participate in this competition," The man continued, "The challenge is to take down the reignin' champion with yer bare fists. Weapons ain't allowed." Then he added, "If ye win, the prize is a whoppin' hundred gold coins."
"Reigning champion?" Sakura echoed.
The old man nodded. "He's a big brute if I do say so myself," He shuddered. "A monster if anythin'. He's a mercenary that visits the town once a month just for this competition. No one has been able to beat him these past six months."
The idea of beating down a mere mercenary and earning money at the same time appealed to Sasori. His eyes slowly came down onto Sakura, knowing full well how interested the pinkette was. However, he knew it wasn't the loot she was interested in, but rather the fight itself. She turned to him, and mouthed, "Can we?"
Sasori sighed. He turned to the old man. "What time does it start?"
The old man laughed and gave an encouraging punch to Sasori's shoulder. "Comin' to watch aye? Knew it would catch yer interest." Moving closer to Sasori, the man whispered, "It begins at the twentieth hour."
After the street brawl had ended, Sasori and Sakura continued venturing the town, going from one shop to another. They had even dropped by a weapons shop to ask the blacksmith to sharpen their weapons, later coming back to pick up their newly sharpened blades. By the time the hands of the clock tower struck the nineteenth hour, they hurriedly made their way back to the inn to drop off their groceries. With Sakura waiting outside, Sasori briefly instructed the innkeeper to put their groceries, along with their weaponry that hid inside their baggage, up in their room. Then he left the area with Sakura once more.
It didn't take them long to find the Sparrow Tavern. It was the only establishment in town that currently attracted a lot of attention. Excited civilians entered the tavern, ready to eat their evening meal.
Sakura squinted her eyes. "Hey," She pulled on Sasori's sleeve.
"Hm?"
She pointed to the side of the tavern, where a crowd seemed to build up. "I think that's the door to the basement."
Sasori's eyes followed to where she pointed. Hooded mercenaries and rough-looking men loitered around the side entrance of the tavern, slowly entering the tavern one by one. From what he could see, there were stairs descending into the tavern. "Let's follow them." He said.
They joined the crowd and waited for their turn to enter the tavern. As the folks behind them pushed and shoved, Sasori held onto Sakura's forearm, not wanting to lose her in the crowd. After fifteen minutes of waiting, a slow, irritated sigh escaped Sasori as they had successfully slipped into the tavern basement.
Upon entering, they saw booths lining the walls, along with many tables and chairs that filled up the room. Placed at the center was a large stage meant for fighting, elevated from the ground by wood. On all four sides of the stage, were stairs that were also made out of wood. Asides from the bright lighting above the stage, the rest of the basement was rather dreary and dark. Sasori and Sakura found a vacant table not too far from the stage, and sat down.
Not too long after they sat down, a man climbed onto the stage.
"Welcome," He began, "To the Sparrow Tavern's monthly fight club!"
Cheers and hoots erupted from all around the room. Sasori had to wonder if the civilians dining on the floor above them could hear all of the noise.
"The rules are the same," The announcer continued, "Fists only, no weapons!" Then he motioned to one corner of the room, on the other side of where Sasori and Sakura sat. He pointed to a massive, hulking man that took up the space of a whole booth. "The challenge is to defeat Goro, our reigning champion of six months!"
Goro stood from his seat and began to trample towards the stage. Once he reached the stage, he heaved himself upwards to stand on top of it next to the announcer.
Recalling the old man's words from earlier that day, Sakura frowned. "The old guy wasn't lying when he said that the champion was a big brute," She muttered, eyeing Goro's height and body mass. 'How is the stage not collapsing yet?'
Beside her, Sasori murmured, "Size doesn't mean everything in a fight."
"Now," The announcer raised his voice. "Is there anyone willing to challenge Goro tonight?!"
Whispers circulated around the room, as the crowd eagerly waited for the first challenger to step up. Seconds later, a man stood up from his seat not too far away from Sasori and Sakura. The crowd cheered once more as the man sauntered onto the stage.
After the announcer climbed off of the stage, Goro and his first challenger shook hands. Once they had let go of each other, Goro smacked his palms together and lifted his arms in the air. Before the challenger could react, Goro's fists swiftly came down on him, slamming him down onto the stage floor.
Sasori and Sakura both straightened up in their seats, alarmed at the sudden attack. The crowd around them was quiet, having also been stunned by Goro's fast blow. The announcer climbed back onto the stage and examined the body that lay still on the stage floor. After deeming the challenger unconscious, he motioned to Goro and yelled, "Winner!"
A beat later, the crowd cheered. The fight had ended before it even started.
"Fists only, and no weapons," Sasori chuckled lowly, "But a whole lot of dirty fighting."
An hour went by as Sasori and Sakura watched the one-sided duels between Goro and his challengers. One challenger came up after another, each of them brave enough to challenge the giant man. One man was thrown off of the stage and had collided against the wall before falling unconscious. Another man was punched into oblivion. Despite brawling for an hour without rest, Goro did not look like he was exhausted at all. 'This is child's play to him,' Sasori mused.
After the body of a recent challenger was dragged off the stage, the announcer spoke up once more. "Is there anyone else brave enough to have a try at Goro?!"
Sakura surged out of her seat, her hand shooting up into the air. Without another word, she pulled her hood off and gleefully made her way to the stage.
As Sasori watched her swagger onto the stage, he face-palmed. "Of course," He muttered under his breath. "Of course we're not here just to watch."
The announcer squinted his eyes as he examined Sakura. "A woman?" He said, skeptically eyeing her up and down. Whispers were heard all around the basement once more as the crowd talked amongst themselves. Slowly, cackles erupted as they realized that the newest challenger was indeed a woman. "Listen, little lady," He chuckled. "It's not a good idea for someone as tiny as you," He pointed to Goro, "To fight a guy as big as him."
Sakura shrugged and lazily waved her hand, "I don't care."
The announcer frowned at her. Was the girl daft? Or perhaps a little nuts in the brain? He took a deep breath. "Little mi-"
"Get off the stage before I make you."
The announcer sighed, before turning on his heel to head down the stairs. If the girl died, it was her fault, not his.
With the announcer out of the way, Sakura turned towards Goro and smiled at him. Then she thrust her arm out towards him, her palm open. "Let's shake hands," She cheerfully said.
Goro blinked. He eyed her open palm, and then Sakura's smiling face. Seconds later, he erupted in laughter, the audience laughing along with him. The girl was definitely insane. "Fine," He gruffly said, stretching his own arm out. "Let's shake hands."
As their hands came in contact, Sakura's dainty smile transformed into a vicious grin. Sakura kicked against the floor and leaped upwards, using his still outstretched hand as a booster. Goro's eyes widened as he watched her fly into the air. Before he could move, her right foot came down on him and she landed a drop kick on his head. The impact was thunderous as Goro crashed headfirst onto the stage floor. On the other hand, Sakura had elegantly landed back on her feet a few steps away from him.
Sasori frowned at her from where he sat. 'Did she just...?'
Meanwhile, silence enveloped the room as spectators all around were completely stunned. Goro, the reigning champion of six months, had just been thrown down by a mere girl with pink hair.
A low growl emitted from Goro's body as he hoisted himself off of the floor. "You," He seethed.
"I'm sorry," Sakura mocked, "Was that too dirty for you?"
A low chuckle escaped Sasori as he leaned back against his chair, his eyes locked on his princess companion. 'Oh, she did.'
Goro charged at her and swung his fist. Sakura fell backwards and landed on the floor, watching as his fist swiped at the air where her head had just been. From her position on the floor, she pulled her feet back and hurled a kick to the juggernaut's stomach. As the giant man lurched from the impact, Sakura took the chance to get back up on her feet. However, she wasn't fast enough. Having already recovered from her kick, Goro wrapped his arms around her and threw her down.
Sakura's breath left her as her body collided with the stage floor. A series of coughs escaped her as she pulled herself up. "You're lucky I don't have my weapons," She hissed, her body swaying to the side.
Goro ignored her and aimed his fist at her once more. She swiftly side-stepped his punch and jabbed at his eyes with her index and middle finger. As Goro screamed and clutched his face, Sakura twisted her body around, lifted her left leg upwards, and delivered a roundhouse kick to his right temple. Goro staggered, now dizzy from the impact.
However, Sakura didn't stop there. While her left foot was still in the air, she placed it onto Goro's right shoulder. She pumped strength into her right leg and leaped into the air. With another twist of her body, she pulled her right leg over and slammed her foot against his temple... The very same one that she had just kicked with her left foot.
A beat later, Goro collapsed onto the floor, unconscious from the repeated attack on the side of his head. Standing near his body, was Sakura, having just landed on her feet.
The announcer rushed onto the stage and knelt by Goro. After examining Goro's condition, he stood up and made his way to Sakura. He nervously eyed her and cleared his throat. "I-If I may have your hand, please?" He whispered to her, his palm stretched out.
Sakura sighed and placed her hand in his.
Grabbing onto her hand, the announcer lifted her hand upwards, and yelled, "We have a new winner!"
The audience roared, each person standing from their seats to clap at her. It was quite deafening, having been louder than the first few cheers that night. Sakura's eyes roamed the crowd, in search for a certain someone.
Highly impressed by Sakura's performance, Sasori had also decided to stand and clap with the crowd.
"Quite a lady ain't she?" Whistled a voice from beside him.
Sasori blinked. He turned to his side and came face to face with the old man they had met in the marketplace earlier that day. Then he noticed Sakura waving at him from the stage. Sasori smiled lightly and returned her wave. "She is," He murmured.
"Is she yers?"
"No."
"Ah," Hummed the old man, "A shame."
Sasori raised a brow. "Is it?"
The old man shrugged. "The way I see it," He started, "She's the type that will recklessly die for her cause. If ye don't claim her soon, she'll disappear before ye know it." The old man patted Sasori's shoulders. "Good luck, young lad." Without another word, the old man turned on his heel and walked away.
Sasori watched the old man's retreating figure for a few seconds before his hazel eyes landed on Sakura once more. As he watched his princess companion happily accept her prize money, he wondered to himself, how would it feel if she ever disappeared from his life?
After Sakura had finished collecting her prize money, Sasori and Sakura headed upstairs to dine at the Sparrow Tavern. Once they had finished their evening meal, they made their way back to the inn, ready to turn in for the night.
Upon entering the inn, the innkeeper greeted them with a gentle smile. "Welcome back," He humbly bowed. "It seems you and your beautiful wife had a lovely outing today."
Sasori froze on the spot. Beside him, Sakura hissed, "Wife? You told him I was your wife?"
"I had no choice," He whispered back, "He only had one room left, and I sure as hell did not want to spend another hour looking for rooms for the both of us."
Before Sakura could say any more, he cleared his throat and smiled at the innkeeper. "Yes," He said, "We had a lovely day, thank you." He grabbed onto her arm and pulled her closer to him. "May I ask where our room is?"
The innkeeper handed the keys to their room to Sasori. "Second floor, the sixth room."
"Thank you," Sasori flashed another smile before dragging Sakura along with him.
Once he found their room, he unlocked the door and pulled the grumbling princess inside. The room wasn't too small, yet it wasn't large either. Against one wall was their groceries and the bag that contained their weapons. On the other side, was a door that most likely led to the bathroom. Near the window was a small couch, and of course, positioned near the middle of the room, was one lonely bed.
"You're not going to hog the bed," Sakura slowly turned to face him. "Are you?"
Sasori frowned, "Well, I'm not going to sleep on the couch either."
A moment later, it was agreed to share the bed between the both of them. Frankly speaking, they were both too tired to argue over their sleeping arrangements. The lights had been turned off. Darkness devoured the room, save for the moonlight that shined through the window. They laid side by side with their backs to each other in silence, the blanket pulled over their bodies.
"How much did you hear last night?"
Sasori blinked, before turning his body over to look at her. "Pardon?" He slowly asked.
"Last night," She quietly repeated, her eyes meeting his. "At the castle. I know you were listening."
Realization dawned him as he remembered the conversation that he had come upon between Sakura and Sasuke. He wanted to kick himself for forgetting about her sharp senses. Sasori chewed on his lip as he debated whether or not to tell her the truth. A beat later, "Everything." He murmured, "I heard everything."
"I see."
It was quiet once more, and Sasori could tell that she was drowning in her thoughts. After a few minutes, she said, "I'm sure you've met the lord of the Yamanaka clan before."
Sasori racked his brain, in search for said clan lord's name. "Yamanaka Inoichi."
Sakura nodded. "He had a daughter," She whispered.
At that, Sasori's eyebrows furrowed. 'Had?'
"She was my best friend," Sakura continued, her voice soft and full of sorrow. She turned to her side to face him.
"She was loud and obnoxious, but she had a very beautiful heart."
A/N: Idk how this chapter came to be 5.4k words, with a cliffhanger at the end. I spent my day off writing the second half of this chapter in between naps and playing video games. I'm actually surprised I managed to finish it, because I had no idea what the hell I was doing with the fight scenes.
I love SasoSaku interactions. Who else loves SasoSaku interactions?
Also, to the guest reviewer that inquired about the Throne of Glass series: yES! I absolutely love the series, and I was actually inspired a little bit by it. I bought Empire of Storms the week it came out last September but I haven't read it yet because I know I'll cry. Pretty sure I'll binge read it the week before the seventh book comes out. I'm so glad you pointed it out though!
Once again, thanks for reading.
RR!