Trigger warning: blood, scenes of torture, death and sex
"So… This thing with Gaara…"
Sakura's left eye twitched.
"How does it work?" Naruto continued curiously, head tilting to the side. "How did it even start? I thought that clan stuck to themselves?" At her silent glaring warning him to shut the hell up already, the hybrid offered a wide, toothy smile and continued his pushing. "He fucked Sasuke up pretty badly like five hundred years ago, y'know."
Yes, she did and Sakura wished she'd been there to witness the savageness of that fight. Alas, it was long before her time and if there was a repeat now, she'd receive all damage too – as vicious as he was, Gaara would never raise a hand to her. Well, unless it was to spank her but like hell she ever complained about that.
"Saying that, Sasuke got a few decent hits in," the blond went on unprompted, though sighed heavily with regret. "Not that I got to see any of it. Of course one of the few times I'm not with him, that bastard goes and picks the most entertaining fights." Yet again sighing at the cruelty of it all, he slumped back against the wall and pouted. "That was around the time I'd been hearing all these crazy rumours about the Sabaku clan, too. I wanted to meet them for myself."
There was no stopping her scoff at such a naïve thought. Hybrid or not, Gaara would easily have the upper-hand in any battle between the two. Naruto was too soft hearted and the past twelve days had shown Sakura he was overemotional too. It was ridiculously easy riling him up and getting under his skin – her lover's specialty. From there, all Gaara really had to do was strike with everything he had. Would Naruto die? No. But the blond was an idiot who probably fought with honour and rules and whatever else. If he believed he'd lost the fight fair and square, he'd definitely call it quits.
Shifting and annoying her with the curiosity in his gaze that warned Sakura he was far from done interrogating her, Naruto leaned closer like merely trying to lower their volume could keep the conversation secret from the two brothers upstairs.
"Does he really kill people for looking at him the wrong way?" The deadpan was apparently not enough to shut him the hell up and Sakura inwardly groaned. "Why would he let you in all of a sudden if he doesn't like letting people get too close?"
A single eyebrow quirked upwards. "What makes you think I made it through that armour of his?" At his thoughtful pause, Sakura shrugged carelessly and asked, "What makes you think it's anything more than sex?"
That had him shaking his head like the possibility was absurd, and she felt her insides clenching when he reminded her, "That guy was livid when he saw I'd bitten you – so angry he slipped up and was bitten himself." Snickering, he added, "I doubt you're that good at sex to get a reaction like that out of someone like Gaara."
"Guess you'll never know," came her impish reply.
The words had him pouting more playfully, though he purposely raised his voice and told her, "I could just ask Itachi if I really wanted to know."
No, he couldn't. The two men couldn't be compared – not even a tiny bit. Gaara aided Sakura in unleashing a side of herself she'd never known to exist prior, helping her accept the darkest parts of herself and most importantly, come to love herself. Itachi was… considerably more complicated and Sakura had ached to be perfect for him. Their sex was equally intense, but not in the same way. With Gaara it was raw and animalistic. With Itachi it was… Gods, she wasn't even sure. Vulnerable on both sides and on such a deep level that it left her in awe. Hell, it was so emotionally charged that it shook her.
"Like he'd talk," she snorted.
"I can push buttons too, y'know!"
Yeah, she seriously doubted he could push hard enough to make Itachi talk. That guy's self-control was on a level none of them had any hopes of even glimpsing at, never mind reaching. Although, saying that, she supposed Itachi had lost control on an epic scale by imprisoning himself with them. She still wasn't sure what the hell to make of that.
Maybe they could push more impulsiveness out of him? It was getting boring again.
"I dare you to try," Sakura goaded, smirking at the flash of excitement in Naruto's eyes. That was perhaps an upside to being such a bonehead and she appreciated his need to find some form of entertainment. Tipping her chin haughtily and striking at his need for comfort, she offered, "I might be more accepting of your tendency to cuddle at night if the results are favourable."
His eyes were laughably wide and filled with eagerness and in seconds, Naruto was on his feet and clenching his fists at the challenge, apparently not hearing Itachi's weary sigh from upstairs.
"What classes as a favourable result?"
Humming thoughtfully, Sakura glanced over to the stairs, wondering just how far they could push the usually composed Uchiha. "Depends what you're aiming for. Driving him bat shit insane is good enough for me."
"Must you encourage him–"
"Deal," Naruto agreed, grinning.
Sakura heaved a sighed when the blond disappeared up the stairs and allowed her to have her first moment alone since entering the prison. While lacking privacy, she enjoyed not having eyes on her for the first time in twelve days and finally relaxed fully in her seated position, biting back a whimper at the painful aching of her dry throat.
"So–"
"Naruto-kun, I am warning you not to do this."
"Aw, c'mon. Don't be like that!"
It was beyond a meagre annoyance now, and Sakura despaired at the realisation of having another two to three weeks left, for it was steadily growing worse the longer Sasuke went without fresh human blood. No wonder he was angry and irrational – she was beginning to feel the same way and it'd only been twelve days. Sasuke had lived over a thousand years with his affliction.
"So? Is she?"
"Shut up already, dobe."
"I wasn't talking to you," he shot back sulkily.
"I have no intention of humouring you. You're wasting your time with this ridiculous deal."
"Ridiculous? You're only saying that because you're jealous."
Intrigued by the sound of gritting teeth and wondering whose they were, Sakura glanced to the stairs once more. Instinct told her Sasuke. Definitely Sasuke. But… Part of her entertained the notion of Itachi becoming irritated or as Naruto insinuated, jealous.
Surely not, though?
"You wish you were the one snuggling up to her at night," Naruto continued with a lilting voice that gave away the smug expression he was no doubt wearing. "Sharing body heat like I get to."
Silence.
Snickering, the blond pushed once more and said, "Did you know she tends to be grabby while sleeping? More affectionate? And those cute little snores–"
"Enough, Naruto-kun."
Still nothing? Sakura held back her groan. How dull. It wasn't even like Naruto was awful at his taunting – given Itachi's behaviour recently and his uncharacteristic impatience, it made sense to play on his emotions or memories. If he truly loved her as much as he claimed, then targeting their past was the way to go. However, that damned self-control of his was noteworthy.
"Why? Does it hurt remembering?"
"Give it a rest," Sasuke growled. "Nobody finds it funny."
But then Naruto hit a nerve that made her incredibly proud, asking, "Do you think Gaara appreciates the way she–"
Green eyes widened at the air being knocked viciously out of Naruto's lungs as he was slammed into a hard surface, and she bit her lip to hide her harsh smile at the tell-tale sound of choking.
"This is your final warning," Itachi muttered coolly.
"S-Someone's… a l-little… sensitive," he gasped, struggling to talk but continuing with the smug tone. "O-Oi, S-Sakura-chan… th-this enough?"
"No," she replied cheerfully.
"H-Hoped not!"
Part of her itched to go upstairs and watch the struggle that broke out, especially when she heard Naruto's triumphant cheer until a cringeworthy thump had him tumbling back down the stairs, collapsing in a breathless heap at the bottom. He rubbed at his stomach and growled, though remained unperturbed, flashing her a mischievous wink as he leapt to his feet.
"That won't keep me down, Itachi," he taunted.
"Ignore him," Sasuke ordered in a low mutter. "He's trying to show off."
"I quite like it," Sakura retorted when it threatened to dissuade the hybrid, returning his smirk.
Like that was all he needed to encourage him, Naruto darted straight back up the stairs and she was unable to control the snort when he was punted back down. It was at his third attempt to continue the drama that her former lover eventually lost his patience and Sakura greeted him with a wicked smile, uncaring for the blond who was tossed to the ground with a snapped neck. He'd wake shortly.
"Enough," Itachi warned.
"Or what?" Standing at his stepping into her domain, Sakura set her hands to her hips and dragged her gaze from his feet back to his demon side's eyes, appreciating the darkness he so rarely exuded. "Unless you learned some new tricks, you have no chance of putting me in my place, love."
The sarcastic pet name wasn't lost on him and Itachi set his jaw, the veins around his eyes shifting in response to his emotions. She wondered what was going through that strategic head of his and grinned impishly at the possibilities. If only Naruto wasn't temporarily dead. They could have had a field day bonding while tormenting the usually stiff, composed Uchiha.
Just as a hand reached for her throat and Sakura made a show of enjoying the rough treatment of her back slamming into the wall, she tsked and glanced up at him with her demon eyes activating, offering a single smirk before she was summoning Gaara's power to break out of the hold. The air was viciously ripped from Itachi's lungs as she pinned him to the ground, straddling him effortlessly and keeping him there with a firm hand to his throat.
"Don't make me laugh," she murmured playfully and leaned closer, lips tracing his jaw as she savoured his mouth-watering scent. Just for a moment, Sakura told herself. To hopefully appease the predator within her. "Stop thinking I'm the same as I was fifty years ago." Shit, she was going to lose control. Could feel it in the fangs cutting through demandingly. "That submissive woman died alongside her parents."
She would break him somehow. One way or another she would chip through his composure and have Itachi become her inside guy to get to Madara. Whether that was through manipulation or good old tormenting that bordered a little on the torture side.
He was her likeliest ally out of the three she was imprisoned with and there was the added bonus of their history.
"You killed her," she whispered seductively, brushing her lips against his ear and applying more pressure to his throat, smirking at his telling shiver. "How does that feel? Knowing you had a hand in your love's demise?"
The deactivating of his eyes alerted Sakura to Itachi regaining control, but she refused to show her agitation since she knew all along it wouldn't be so simple to break him. Catching him off guard while feeling around for those pesky buttons was one thing – she wasn't naïve enough to assume it meant she'd burrowed her way under his thick skin.
"You promised you'd always be there," she accused, eyes reverting to normal to add a little oomph to the emotional blow. "What happened to our forever, love? To all our plans?"
"Manipulative b–"
"Stand down, Sasuke," ordered Itachi coolly, never taking his eyes away from hers. "This conversation doesn't involve you."
He spared a simple glance down at the hand around his throat before going against her strength, pushing up against her like he barely felt a thing. Familiar hands settled on her thighs to keep her against him, one daring to slide upwards to settle on her hip and she noticed his pupils dilating when Itachi's gaze dropped to her lips. It intrigued her as much as it repulsed her, but Sakura knew not to let the latter show – not that she could, as she quickly found the predator within growing antsier by the moment, bordering on desperate to taste Itachi's powerful blood.
"Your safety trumps my happiness," came his damning hushed words, whispered so softly that she knew even with enhanced hearing, Sasuke would struggle to pick them up. "Your life will always be more important than my own." Sakura dropped her hand from his neck, lips pursing at the sincerity in his gaze and using her momentary disbelieving anger, Itachi leaned even closer, brushing his nose to hers as he told her almost inaudibly, "You have a future, my love. I'm simply no longer a part of it."
Frustration had Sakura lashing out but that was her downfall, and she damned herself for creating the opening as Itachi managed to regain the upper hand. He smirked down at her while applying a harsher pressure to her throat, a knee wedged between hers so that Itachi could press their hips together more intimately.
"Nice try, my love," he murmured, admiring the anger in her expression with a lidded gaze. "But even with Gaara-kun's blood, you are no match for me. Understand already that he is no match for me."
Damn it. It was as Sakura previously thought when up against Madara: even if she was physically stronger, they were more experienced. They were seasoned fighters. In her condition, if she wanted to come out on top permanently then she needed the element of surprise (especially since training down there was impossible).
Her head was tipped further back at Itachi's insistence and she held his gaze levelly, refusing to show anything other than the defiance she felt.
Smirking, he pressed a tender kiss to her forehead before pulling away, already at the bottom of the stairs by the time Sakura sat up.
"I advise you not to use Naruto-kun," he added blandly without looking back at her. "My brother is extremely possessive of his guard dog."
Sasuke got his revenge for her using Naruto.
It came in the form of mental torture, proving yet again that originals (particularly those with connections to powerful witches) were on a whole other level as he managed to infiltrate her mind while her guards were down and warp it against her. Too deep in sleep, Sakura couldn't fight off the traumatic images he bombarded her with, forcing her to watch herself succumbing to the ripper madness and tearing everyone to pieces.
Nobody was safe. Her clan were taken out for interfering with her feeding frenzy, and Sakura wobbled in her composure as Ino's body parts were strewn throughout their mansion. What really took her out and damned her was feeling Mitsuki's soft skin being savagely shredded beneath her nails and fangs, was tasting his blood as she drained him, was watching the light fade from his eyes.
For the most part, Sakura was composed when she was fiercely awoken from the nightmare. She was shaky but silent while sitting up against the wall, unable to hear Naruto's concerned words as he grasped at her arms to anchor her to the real world.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, visibly shaken. "I'm sorry."
Mitsuki…
Sasuke knew how precious Mitsuki was to her.
Blinking back the fast approaching breakdown at the sound of a snicker from upstairs, Sakura languidly met Naruto's gaze, taking a moment to assess his genuine worry for her well-being, in the flash of disappointment and anger at his lover's cruel actions.
That was her in.
"H-He…"
"I'm sorry," the hybrid repeated and shifted closer. "It took me way too long to realise what he was doing."
With the confirmation that it was definitely Sasuke to back up her risky decision, Sakura closed the distance between them, hiding her true intentions with fear and helplessness. And that damned idiot lapped up the damsel in distress act, laughably quick to try and soothe Sakura as she clutched at him.
"Take it away," she pleaded brokenly, only pulling back enough to look up at him with those pitiful doe eyes. At the momentary hesitance even while he admired the closeness of their lips, Sakura ran her hands through his hair and pushed up against him. She knew exactly how to seal the deal and since he was no longer a secret to the three, she forced herself to tear up, releasing a shaky exhale against his lips. "M-Mitsuki-kun is… He's like my own… Sasuke had me…"
The furious growling from upstairs had Sakura biting back a vindictive smirk, but the effortlessness of wedging herself between them damn near broke her composure. That fight only grew harder when Naruto caved to her advances with a short noise of desire, all too eager to save the poor damsel in need of comforting.
She would teach that ripper bastard not to toy with her.
Groaning at the hungry hands that gripped at her, Sakura followed the hybrid to the ground, never allowing him a moment to reconsider as she unleashed the predator within. She made sure there was absolutely no mistaking their actions as she dragged endless moans and needy groans out of him, showing Sasuke he was no match for her as she had his precious guard dog coming undone within mere minutes. Then, once she was done with Naruto and to ensure he stayed on her side, Sakura played her part of the caring lover while recalling all the ways the other bastard upstairs held onto her, staying close to him as he came down from the high.
"S-Shit," the blond whispered disbelievingly through his breathless pants, awkwardly angling his head to look down at her with wide eyes. "You are good. Really, really good."
Staying focused couldn't have been easier thanks to the flare up of pain in several parts of her body that told Sakura Itachi had intervened in some way, keeping Sasuke from getting to them.
She forced back her need to gloat by lifting herself to straddle his hips once more, looking to Naruto with a deep, crushing maternal fear that struck him powerfully. "Mitsuki-kun isn't really…? He's not…?"
Blue eyes hardened and he sat up, shaking his head and promising fiercely, "I won't let any kids die, Sakura-chan. I don't care who they're connected to or what they've gotten themselves involved in. They don't deserve that. No kids are dying."
There.
Men were so fucking easy.
"Thank you," Sakura told him, once more dragging Naruto against her.
Thankfully for her sake, the second round took it out of the hybrid and Sakura grimaced while washing herself down, refusing to look in his direction until she was fully dressed and no longer vulnerable.
It was in that moment that she noticed Itachi descending the stairs and she offered a small, triumphant smirk when he leaned his side against the wall, arms folding over his chest. Although there was no particular emotion in his expression, she could tell from the dried blood coating his skin that Sasuke had put up a fight in trying to get to them.
"Was that necessary?"
"Eye for an eye," she shot back simply, darkly. "Go after someone I care for and I will return the favour."
Itachi sighed and shook his head, barely even sparing Naruto's unconscious form what she knew to be a disappointed glower before meeting her eye again. "You are merely antagonising him."
"No, love. He antagonised me," Sakura scoffed, eyebrow quirking upwards. "Don't blame me if he can't handle it." Approaching with an extra sway of her hips that instantly captured his attention, she came to stand directly in front of him, expression growing cold as she warned, "Leave Mitsuki-kun and Ino out of this before I get serious. This–" She gestured to the heavily snoring hybrid, shifting her gaze to the murderous glower at the top of the stairs. "–was embarrassingly easy and it's just the start if you keep pushing me."
"Noted," her former love accepted, straightening at Sasuke's harsh growls. "I will attempt to keep Sasuke under control, though only on the basis you also behave yourself."
"I thought you preferred when I misbehaved?"
The tension in his jaw had her grinning. "Do we have a deal?"
"That depends."
"On?"
Oh, she was having too much fun riling the brothers up. They were easier than expected. "Will you seal the deal?" Sakura put on an innocent front, offering him a smile. "For old times?"
His scoff didn't surprise her in the least and she laughed cheerfully. "With your conquest only a few feet away?"
"I didn't make the rules."
The brief flash of an amused smile let Sakura know she was continuing to make progress with her chipping, even when Itachi turned and walked away without another word. His back being turned allowed her to blow a patronising kiss to the fuming younger brother who was itching to take her out, and Sakura delighted in his step forward that was immediately intercepted by a sighing Itachi.
And to congratulate herself on a job well done while simultaneously trying to keep those wretched images out of mind, she snatched up her final pouch of Gaara's blood after holding onto it for three days, sighing with content as she kicked back.
Too easy.
"Look, Sakura-chan…" Naruto trailed off awkwardly and scratched the side of his head. "I know that Gaara basically gave you a free pass, but I don't want to start any unnecessary fights with a guy like him–"
"Relax," she snorted. Sending him a placating smile that instantly had the hybrid relaxing with a relieved sigh, Sakura said, "I don't want anything to come from last night. I was vulnerable. You were angry. We lashed out and comforted each other. That's all it was."
The gratefulness wasn't entirely down to keeping Gaara at bay – she could tell from his brief glance towards the stairs. But it was there regardless of what it was towards and Sakura thanked her lucky stars that Naruto hadn't formed any kind of annoying attachment. As she'd suspected: he was like Ino in that department. His heart was by no means fickle, but Naruto allowed his body's wants to take over. He divulged in those primal urges without tangling them with his emotions.
However, there was one part of the night before that she needed to confirm and so Sakura frowned briefly in concern – only long enough for Naruto to detect the expression before she was making a show of composing herself. Last night, emotions were heightened but if she continued to be so open, he would be suspicious.
"About what we said," she started, then sighed irritably. "About Mitsuki-kun–"
"I stand by everything I said," came his promise, voice raising like he wanted to make sure Sasuke was listening too. "I don't care who he's tied to. I'm not letting any kids die."
Her relief was all too real and showed in the slumping of her shoulders.
Blue eyes warmed.
Well, at least that was going in her favour and it certainly boosted her ego when Naruto remained close, visibly displaying his liking of her but impressing Sakura with his seriousness at keeping the two separate. Even if Ino hated her for finding similarities, the blonde wouldn't be able to deny that one.
"What's your clan like?" he questioned after a short while. It was becoming the norm for Naruto to fill the silence or ask questions when he found he needed a distraction from his thirst. With the days passing with such agonising slowness, she couldn't even blame him. "You don't seem that close to them."
She wasn't. Plain and simple. But rather than sharing how different a vampire clan was to a werewolf pack, Sakura struck at the opportunity to connect the two while making another jab at the ripper upstairs.
"I'm the leader of our clan, but they're Ino's family," she explained with great ease. Any fool could pick up on her general disregard for their lives and Ino's genuine love for them, so there was no harm in confirming it. "She lost everyone the day she was turned and it left a void – they don't make up for the lives taken that day, but they comfort her." Unable to hold back the fond smile, Sakura looked to Naruto, adding, "Unlike the rest of us who grow distant after facing the cold reality of our world, Ino continues to care deeply. It keeps me grounded when I need it most."
"She's your righthand, right?"
Ino was so much more than that.
He leaned closer, expression softening for a second as he seemed to find something that wasn't supposed to be on show in hers. But after the night before and to reward him for his understanding and protecting Mitsuki, Sakura didn't react negatively or close herself off from him. She allowed the bonding moment that could potentially bring him closer to her.
Naruto overpowered the original families – minus the Senju clan, if recent information wasn't exaggerated. Having a hybrid on her side, protecting her loved ones, was definitely a wise move.
"You created a whole clan for – no, with her?"
The pair of them had been through hell together and it was together that they protected Konoha. Ino supported her and she beat down on her when necessary, pushing Sakura to achieve her greatest potential and more. Would she have even a fraction of what she did now without the blonde? Well, possibly (she wasn't about to sell herself short). But it certainly wouldn't mean half as much. Having Ino by her side through the heartbreaks and the wars for territory, through the good and the bad, sharing laughs and companionship, was what made it all worth it.
Sakura knew she'd been horrific to deal with when her humanity was off, but Ino stayed. Even when she threatened all the blonde believed in and left her questioning if there was even anything left to salvage, Ino stood by her. No matter how dark it got, she never left her to suffer alone.
"If soulmates really exist then she's mine," Sakura told him without hesitation, shrugging like it wasn't that big a deal. However, she could tell from the warmth in his features that Naruto was moved. "I'd give her anything and everything if I could."
And she would ruin anyone who hurt her.
"Sounds nice," came Naruto's sighed response, smile small and hopeful. But then he frowned in concern and glanced over his shoulder, asking, "Aren't you worried?"
About Itachi? No. He'd been there from day one of hers and Ino's bond and knew how deep it was. He'd had every opportunity to strike – only, hadn't and Sakura strongly suspected it was due to his feelings for her. Prior to his compulsion being lifted, she would've sworn that he was merely biding his time and was saving Ino for last. Taking her out would be the final nail in the coffin and the quickest way of making her unravel. But then his compulsion was gone and Sakura knew she had to acknowledge the love that kept them connected. Itachi would never be capable of destroying her in such a way.
About Sasuke…
"Sasuke's already tried to kill her," she stated confidently, ignoring the flare up of paranoia and fury as she acknowledged it was possible that he'd go after her again. "Clearly, he sucks at it."
Naruto leaned closer at that, telling her with the knowing glint in his eye alone that he'd heard about that particular day before. "They've never seriously fought like that before, y'know. They really had no intentions of waking him up again."
Who? Itachi and Sasuke? That Sakura could believe, she supposed. Now that she wasn't having her memories and emotions manipulated, she was able to recall the fierceness and absolute fury in Itachi's attacks as he'd come to her defence. There'd been no remorse while putting Sasuke into a deep sleep, locking him away in a coffin for an undetermined length of time.
"Explains why Sasuke's such a bitch about it," she snorted. "He's not number one anymore."
Although, she did wonder who'd woken Sasuke from his forced desiccation, if not Itachi (since all of this shit would have been avoided if her former love was in control of the situation). Even while so distant and cryptic with her after she'd turned off her humanity, Itachi made it known that Sasuke wouldn't be leaving his side anytime soon. That was part of his reasoning for leaving her behind – supposed reasoning, anyway. In his desiccated form, Sasuke was completely vulnerable. Still immortal but vulnerable and as furious as he was with his brother, Itachi would never put him in harm's way like that. Simultaneously, he'd had no intentions of releasing his brother while he was submerged in ripper madness.
Realisation had Sakura sighing and shaking her head in disappointment, muttering at Naruto's sheepish grin, "His guard dog released him."
He leaned back on his hands and she admired the confidence and comfortability he displayed, all the while despising that someone like Sasuke had such loyalty and devotion. "We'd do anything for our soulmates."
"Like Uchiha Sasuke even has a soul to begin with."
The words had Naruto pouting childishly, shooting back, "Same could be said about Gaara."
She smirked. "Touché."
A whole five days had dragged by since seducing Naruto, also meaning it'd been five days since she'd drained her last pouch. Usually not an issue for her, but it'd been weeks since Sasuke last fed.
The fact that nobody returned to the prison with more blood informed her Madara and the others were potentially closing in. No matter how thirsty she became, they came first. She refused to lose anyone else to someone like that.
However…
Sasuke's rapidly increasing need to binge was fraying her control (now that he was on day seventeen of no blood) and Sakura buried her head in her hands, willing the cramping muscles and lightheaded feeling away. It caused physical agony denying herself and she longed for someone to sink her teeth into, fangs already protruding in preparation.
"Shit," whispered Naruto and she could sense his hesitancy to approach, could smell the uncertainty that had his heart racing. Even the mutt was starting to smell good, she thought helplessly, swallowing the drool before it became obvious. "It's getting to you too."
"I'm losing my goddamn mind," she couldn't help but admit in a pained grunt, nails biting into the veins around her eyes. They healed seconds later but left streaks of blood in their wake, leaving her to look more demonic than ever. "All I can hear is your heart."
"Fight it," Naruto encouraged as cheerfully as possible. "You've got this."
Did she? Sakura wasn't so sure. Couldn't be. No chance. Not when the pounding of his heart grew louder and louder and louder. Nothing tuned it out. It didn't matter how far he moved from her.
She was going insane.
The existence of a ripper was torture.
Everything hurt. Deeply, viciously ached and she couldn't control the shaking of her hands for even a second.
"Are you out of blood?" Naruto asked warily.
"It's not enough anyway," she groaned into blood stained arms. The scratching was a tick of her addiction it seemed, and she'd mindlessly scratched away to the point of bleeding several times, though lacked the energy to clean herself up. "It's not…" Swallowing hard, Sakura's voice was strained while finally admitting, "A pouch isn't hitting right. I-I… I need a vein."
He nodded in agreement, much to her astonishment and came to crouch before her, hands firm while stopping the incessant scratching. "That's what Sasuke often says, too. Sometimes he'd rather starve than drink from a pouch."
It was like she was starving but fussy as hell at the same time, unhelpfully turning her nose up at substances that could still fulfil her – without meaning to, though. They just didn't help the cravings at all.
Naruto's shifting had Sakura jolting backwards, only realising then that she'd started leaning into him, drawn to the mutt by his pounding heartbeat. It'd even filled her mouth with saliva, she noticed disdainfully and fuck, it made her hate to admit she admired Sasuke's perseverance. He was holding up relatively well, whereas she was succumbing to the itch.
"He's had a thousand years to adjust to it," Naruto murmured when she voiced her annoyance. "More importantly, Sasuke's used to being forced to go longer without blood. A month just doesn't hit him that hard anymore."
She grimaced. "How long…?"
"Fifty years, give or take," he informed her, frowning. "After a while of not feeding, you start to desiccate. It still hurts but he knows how to hide it."
Fifty…
"They do this to him often?" she demanded in a pitiful whine, horrified at the thought of going through it all over again. What if it happened around Mitsuki? Around Konoha? Shit, what was she supposed to do? "Why?"
It was information he wouldn't share with the others in hearing distance, Sakura quickly deduced. Being so short on patience, she dropped the subject promptly just in time for the horrendous muscle cramping to return. For the most part, she bit back the pain, gritted her teeth to keep it from being vocalised. But somehow, Naruto saw through it all anyway.
He went through her bag without permission but she didn't have the energy or mental capacity to snarl at him. Too lost in the rippling agony that had her shuddering and damning herself for once more cutting into her own skin (for it alerted those two bastards upstairs that she was going through hell), Sakura only realised when he returned what Naruto had in mind and as kind as the gesture was, she couldn't control the harsh mutter that he was wasting his time.
"If I've learned anything about you, it's that you're just as proud as the rest of them," he told her, smirking. "I can't leave you looking like this. You look deranged."
Damn it, she didn't have the strength to fight him, so Sakura collapsed backwards into the wall. He cleaned her bloodied skin silently, frequently glancing to her features to get a read on Sakura's intentions or mindset. Eventually, it did feel good enough for her to relax fully, the repetitive wiping distracting and granting her a brief few minutes of peace.
"I do this for Sasuke when he's struggling," confessed Naruto softly. She almost missed it entirely thanks to his calming ministrations. "But he's still pissed at me."
She hummed quietly, never once taking her eyes away from the gentleness. "I don't feel bad for hurting him." At the brief falter in Naruto's movements, Sakura finally looked up at him with a genuine expression. "However, I'm sorry that you're in such a shitty place."
I'm sorry this is hurting you, she pushed the thought out to him with the little mental strength she had left.
The reddening of his cheeks had her snorting with amusement, though she continued to silently admire the earnest aura Naruto boasted. The same aura that brought her brief moments of peacefulness as she imagined Ino to be the one by her side.
I wish you were here, she thought miserably.
There was no gradual decline for rippers. It was one to a hundred in a matter of days and she was powerless to prevent it. The whole situation infuriated her, despite Sakura knowing it was of her own doing.
Fatigue kept her down, and Naruto's worried trips upstairs was all she needed to know that Sasuke was considerably weakened too. There was no way the mutt was forgiven already for caving so easily – Sasuke was growing too tired to continue fighting. However, he remained proud and refused to succumb to the pain and exhaustion and shit, Sakura wished she could too. But it was agonising. She was starving – no, worse than that. It was exacerbated by her own thirst that Sasuke's was ruthlessly piling on top of.
"Just what I need," Sakura rasped sarcastically at the sound of footsteps descending into the basement.
Naruto glanced in her direction before focusing on the stairs, his frown growing more prominent. "Now's not the time, Itachi." He gestured back at her and she hated that she felt too weak to respond. Hell, she was struggling to see properly by that point and had to squint to get a better read on the situation. "For now, Sakura-chan's relaxed."
For now.
It carried such an ominous vibe.
"All the more reason for this to happen now. Please go upstairs."
"I'm not going anywhere," Naruto informed him simply and like he was proving a point, settled himself against the wall, arms folding.
"Always the obedient pet," Itachi sighed.
"Forever an asshole," he snapped back. Raising a blond eyebrow, he muttered, "You're not screwing with her head while she's in this state. You're gonna get us all killed."
"You're immortal–"
"Doesn't mean I'm okay with dying, even if it is temporary! It still hurts, jackass."
Their conversation faded to background noise as she was assaulted with Itachi's delectable scent, gaze finally focusing and drifting downwards to admire the vein in his neck, the one she could fucking hear. His blood had her swallowing instinctively before releasing a shuddering breath, willing it to take the insane itch with it.
But it didn't, and she was quick to understand Naruto's for now.
Just catching a whiff of potential prey had Sakura growing more alert, had searing pain flooding through her veins once more. Stiff fingers twitching on the fluffy robe Naruto had thought would be a source of comfort, she attempted to remain in control of herself, but everything was going haywire again – no, worse, Sakura realised with a wince. A couple of days ago, she could still control herself. She was still her. Now, that predator was… Holy shit, it was as Naruto said. Rippers seemingly had a second personality that took over.
That was why he was trying so hard to keep her calm.
He was trying to keep the predator at bay for as long as possible.
Sakura returned to their conversation when Naruto snapped in exasperation, "I don't give a shit if your dad's got him on some errand. Sasuke needs to feed!"
"It is a distraction," Itachi replied with limited patience. "They are waiting for Shisui to give away our position. If he comes now, we are at a severe disadvantage."
"And when they both snap?" he demanded, voice becoming a low growl. "They're gonna go straight for each other. You've seen how Sasuke reacts to other rippers."
"Do you truly believe I will allow either of them to come to harm?"
But his reply was cold and unforgiving. "You've done a piss poor job of protecting them so far." Sakura was startled by a deep blistering ache that shot through her when Naruto shoved her prey back, upper lip trembling and cracking as it curled to reveal sharp fangs. "Keep your bullshit idea of love away from us."
"Naruto-kun–"
It was crazy how Naruto's low warning growl had her dragging herself to her feet, and Sakura was in awe of the dimming edges to her vision as she focused on the threat to her meal.
What made Itachi's blood all the more enticing was the raw magic it was fermented in. Unlike anything else. That was why they kept it a secret, Sakura thought numbly. Not solely because of the power up, but because it made the original clans targets. If word got out about how heavenly they tasted, others would desire it.
And they never fucking stayed dead.
Glowing werewolf eyes snapped to hers before Naruto was stepping in front of Itachi. It seemed, despite all their differences, he would protect his love's precious people – even if she couldn't actually kill him.
Not that any of that really mattered.
"Gaara's blood is leaving your system, if it hasn't already," warned the hybrid lowly. "Don't try anything, Sakura-chan."
Like she needed Gaara's blood to bend them to her will, to break them down. Not with the predator striving for control screeching in her ear, sounding so very similar to how she'd been without her humanity. An absolute menace. A deadly hunter. Nobody was safe.
Naruto was soft hearted, Sakura reminded herself while shifting in her stance.
Itachi was all too willing to ease their suffering.
The activating of her demon eyes had the blond sighing in resignation. "Fine, if that's how you want this to go."
"Do not bite her, Naruto-kun."
"It's the quickest way to incapacitate–"
"She is not my brother," Itachi muttered coldly, his own demon eyes activating at the threat he posed.
They were talking about her like she was a rabid animal, but Sakura realised that it didn't bother her in the slightest. She was too thirsty–
She jolted, grunting as a sudden and unexplainable pain brought her to her knees once more. Neither of them had moved meaning…
"Dick move, S-Sasuke," she spat hatefully and clutched at her stomach, anger intensifying brilliantly at the sight of her now blood stained shirt. "This is designer."
Naruto heaved a sigh and grinned. "She's back."
"Deal with it," he muttered, causing her to fall backwards as another unavoidable wound was dealt.
The injuries took longer than usual to heal due to her being starved, and Sakura grimaced as she clung to the pain inflicted. It certainly worked to keep the predator at bay – for now.
For now.
"Sakura–"
"Stay the hell away from me," she spat through clenched teeth, the deep aching of her muscles bringing out the more volatile side of her.
Itachi raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "Even if this condition, you're refusing my help?"
Damn right she was. Like she would give him any openings to worm his way back in, or to try and manipulate her again in some way. Being as vulnerable as she currently was, even with her plans of chipping at him and bringing him to their side, Sakura knew she needed to keep her distance from Itachi. Flipping the situation would be effortless on his part, given her condition.
"Get out," she growled warningly the second the predator scratched through the pain Sasuke had ceased in inflicting.
Naruto rushing to her side distracted her from Itachi's exit, and she bit back a whimper as she fell back into the torture that was starvation and gradual desiccation.
Gaara…
Would he even pick up on the thoughts? Being as weakened as she was, Sakura knew the psychic abilities that came with being a vampire were less effective. It was highly unlikely she could reach him, being so far away. Hell, she probably couldn't even compel a human in her sorry state.
Gaara…
She needed blood. Even drinking it from a pouch was better than going dry. It wasn't what the predator craved, but it was enough to sustain her. She needed blood. Not even Gaara's. Anyone's. She was going insane.
Ignoring the hybrid's wariness as he lingered, trying to get her to return to her makeshift bed, Sakura pushed forward. She weakly dragged her ass up the stairs to get as close to the entrance as she could, cursing Sasuke under her breath when he refused to move and threatened her balance as Sakura stumbled over his legs.
Gaara…
He had to be able to hear her. Had to. Grimacing as the exhaustion finally grew too much, Sakura collapsed just a foot away from the barrier, green eyes drawn to the stick laying carelessly on the other side, the one previously used to push pouches over to her.
"You're trying to communicate with Gaara-kun."
She swallowed hard.
"It won't work," Itachi sighed, ignoring her protests as he aided her in sitting up against the wall. His hands lingered, hovering over Sakura and unknowingly causing her to salivate. "I can no longer communicate with Shisui."
And he wasn't half as affected as she and Sasuke were.
Undeterred, Sakura continued to push her thoughts out there, clawing in every ounce of mental strength she possessed.
Gaara!
"We can't keep going like this," Naruto whined, gesturing helplessly to her. "Her thirst's being worsened by Sasuke's. She's going to start desiccating any day now."
"Her own fucking fault," snarled said Uchiha.
"You'll desiccate too, idiot!"
Why was Sasuke's voice pissing her off more than usual? Groaning as it awakened the predator within and she was once more submerged in physical agony, Sakura looked over at the three men with her demon eyes activating of their own accord. The vascular marbling was prominent against her paler than usual skin and continuously shifting as she fought against it, framing her eyes and alerting them all to her intense thirst.
Goddamn it, she mentally screamed while slapping her hands over her traitorous eyes. Hear me, Gaara!
"Feed."
"Itachi…!" Sasuke snarled.
He…
Unable to resist the temptation since she knew the delicious taste of his blood, Sakura peeled her hands away to reveal the wreck she was becoming. The itch was otherworldly, like it would never be satisfied but shit, would she have fun trying.
Sighing, Itachi came to stand over her and added like she even needed more convincing, "You cannot spend the next two weeks falling deeper into ripper madness."
"He has a point," Naruto murmured with a grimace. "Sasuke can't always distinguish friend from foe when he's lost in a binge. You will end up killing the first human you come across." Pausing, he then added quietly, "And witches are technically human."
Mitsuki.
Sakura's hands trembled. "T-The vervain–"
"Out of my system by now. I didn't drink any following our meeting."
Sasuke's eyes widened with disbelief and he grabbed Naruto's arm, using the hybrid to drag himself to his feet. "Stop, Itachi. So what if she kills those witches? They need to die anyway."
Like hell she was letting them kill her witches – Mitsuki. That boy was… He was hers! Even though biologically they weren't connected, he was hers. He was her son.
They weren't getting anywhere near her son.
Although much stronger than her, Itachi's features didn't twitch when she lunged. He didn't make a sound when they crashed into the wall. He didn't make a move as they slid to the ground and she straddled his hips, yanking him as close as he could physically get, locking herself in place.
Going off the flashes of pain that tried to distract her, she knew Naruto was stopping Sasuke from intervening. But she was too far gone now, too focused on the promise of fresh, powerful blood that had her shivering in anticipation.
A deep groan of relief was muffled at the sinking of her teeth into his throat, and Sakura gripped at his shoulders and biceps desperately, overcome with the intoxicating high that had her pressing herself into him as tightly as she could. His scent was maddening and she had to part momentarily to savour it, nose brushing along his neck, inhaling deeply and grimacing because holy shit, she couldn't get enough. That itch was in the process of being scratched, delivering the sweetest pleasure that was damn near euphoric and it shocked her by causing that promising knot in her stomach to steadily tighten.
A hand came to the back of her head, insistently returning Sakura to his throat and his quiet gasp was music to her ears as she locked on again, her moan of appreciation causing the hand in her hair to curl into a fist that only added to the blissful moment as she imagined him fighting her off.
Itachi's blood was…
Holy fuck, it was…
Just as his hand skimmed her waist to drag her impossibly closer, Sakura had it slamming into the wall.
"You're not the one in control here," she warned breathily, despite the ache in her muscles screaming she wasn't either.
Parting long enough to shift over him even when the predator within attempted to keep her locked on, Sakura made the dreadful mistake of meeting Itachi's lidded gaze, and she couldn't control her needy groan as his lips parted invitingly. It had her mind swarming with their past – like the ripper within really needed to be shown how powerfully euphoric it'd been. Already it was clawing for control and Sakura whimpered while dropping herself heavily onto Itachi's lap, adrenaline rushing beautifully through her veins.
She switched to a different part of his neck, guided by memories to a spot she knew was highly pleasurable for him and Itachi had all of two seconds before he was gripping at her urgently, hips flexing into hers and showing her he was enjoying the moment just as intensely.
"Good thing they weakened you," Naruto whispered, unable to tear his eyes away from the scene before them as it brought forth his own aching thirst. "I hate to think how badly you could fuck up at full strength."
"…Shut up, dobe."
"Leave," she growled possessively upon hearing them. They were too close to her meal, the threat of Sasuke intervening too great. It had her digging her nails deeper into Itachi's shoulders and arms and they could all smell the open wounds she left behind, the ones that stained his shirt red. "Now."
"Go," ordered Itachi, voice strained. "You know… how you feel during a binge. These moments of…"
Sasuke grimaced and his step forward immediately faltered at her trembling and Itachi's hiss of pain.
She was going to tear him to pieces. She could feel it. Control was slipping dangerously and their being so close was awakening the monster within her.
But shit when they left, that was when Sakura finally let loose. It allowed her to cave to the ripper's urges and she moaned at the hands that gripped at her thighs and ass as she shifted over him with knees scraping in the dirt, no longer concerned whether it was Itachi's attempts to find control or not. If anything, it heightened her gratification feeling the tension in his muscles, it added to the enjoyment of her meal having him digging his fingers into her flesh and leaving bruises that healed within seconds of blooming with colour.
"Like that," he encouraged under his breath, grip intensifying at her sounds of fulfilment. "Feed, my love."
Sakura's eyes rolled at his heavenly taste, and she reached around him, crushing Itachi to her in an unbreakable embrace. "Stop talking," she ordered.
He was hard, straining into her and damn it, the predator within her loved every second of it. She couldn't resist tearing at him, hips mindless once they experienced the blinding pleasure grinding brought her. The muffled sounds in her ear only spurred her on and fuck, she–
"Fuck," she cried out helplessly, body succumbing to his intensity. "I-I'm–"
"Don't stop," he urged, hands weakly driving her forward. His head fell back to the stone wall, eyes squeezing shut.
There was no stopping it. No controlling herself. And Sakura buried her face into the mess she'd made of his neck before she truly did bite chunks out of him as orgasm claimed her, body straining to draw out the powerful release and only thankful when Itachi flexed upwards a final time, his trembling grip weakened from blood loss but still all she needed when accompanied by that telling relieved moan that matched up to all her memories.
But whereas that previously satisfied her, Sakura jolted at the realisation that she was still thirsty. Unbearably thirsty.
"Not enough," she whispered, horrified. Meeting Itachi's heavy gaze, she alerted him, "It's not enough."
His blood granted her the power she needed to hunt, but Sasuke's thirst was still unsated and she…
It wasn't enough.
He shut his eyes tiredly, his skin a sickly shade of grey as his own thirst prevented him from healing as fast as he previously would have. "Do what you must. Even if you bleed me dry or dismember me as rippers often do to their victims, you cannot kill me."
She vehemently refused to acknowledge her short-lived cry while lunging forward once more, refused to acknowledge the painful regret the moment she pierced skin and broke bones. It was all too much now that she'd had a taste of his powerful, intoxicating blood and Sakura shut her eyes against the sadness at her situation.
How had she allowed herself to become so weak willed?
"Not enough," she complained weakly while clutching at him with a white knuckled grip. "Not enough."
"It's okay," he whispered, hand falling away from the back of her head with an echoing thud.
But it still wasn't enough and Sakura hated herself for the powerful emotions that overwhelmed her the second she registered the signs of desiccation covering him. Dark eyes were glazed over, cloudy with death and seemingly piercing her soul and she recoiled, back hitting the opposite wall with enough force to leave her breathless.
She was losing it.
Gaara, she mentally yelled for her lover before she truly lost control, because already she was hyperaware of another original close by. She could hear the anger and frustration, could smell his itching need to lash out at her.
She was fucking losing it.
Gaara, Sakura pleaded with everything she had. I can't control any of it.
Growling fiercely, she clutched at her head, eyes squeezing shut as she tried to block out the two downstairs. But instincts really had taken over and Sakura cursed as she stood on a twisted, half-complete autopilot – completely aware of what was happening but lacking the willpower to prevent any of it. Fighting the predator off only caused searing pain that she couldn't withstand any longer and by the time Sakura appeared at the bottom of the stairs, she knew she made for a startling sight.
Coated in her own and Itachi's blood, eyes glowing with the power of the predator taking control and attention fixating on the other ripper in the room who responded with equal ferocity, she instinctually hissed at the challenge he presented.
"Stop," Naruto ordered in a growl, intervening just as she dashed towards Sasuke and shoving her away. "You're not having him."
"Not enough," came her reply that was tinged with madness, not even feeling the pain of her back slamming into the wall. "I need more."
"You–"
"Get out of my goddamn way, mutt," she snarled and this time, he was unable to fight her off as Sakura rushed him, the combination of two originals' blood in her system granting her the strength to snap his neck effortlessly. "Not enough."
Sasuke met her stare coolly, the sound of Naruto's body hitting the ground notably infuriating him.
"It's not enough," she whined, clawing at her throat. "Why isn't it enough?"
"You're essentially a ripper now," Sasuke informed her, seeming all too happy to share the burden. "It will never be enough."
Growling lowly, she flash stepped forward in a blurred streak and tackled him to the ground, knocking the wind out of them both. "I'll make it enough."
The defiant hands that fought her had the predator in her rejoicing and Sakura whimpered, the burning need too much. Even when Sasuke managed to overpower her somehow as his own ripper urges took control, all she could think of was the thrill of the chase and how refreshing it was to finally have prey that fought back.
"Stop," he ordered coldly, demon eyes glowering down on her. The hands pinning her to the ground were rough, leaving second-long bruises that made her inner muscles clench. "Control yourself."
Like he could talk about control after all he'd done in his damned lifetime.
"D-Drinking from you…" Grimacing under the strain, she broke out of his hold and smiled vindictively at Sasuke's grunt of pain. "…hurts me too. I'll make it enough."
"Moron–"
The insult was cut off with a yell of pain he tried to hold back when she sunk her teeth into his throat, their bodies trembling at the shared relief and pain that overwhelmed them. He couldn't deny the momentary pleasure that spiked, not when she could taste it in his blood. She knew he was itching to experience it first-hand.
"F-Fucking insane bi…!" Growling hatefully, he swiped at her and Sakura chuckled darkly when it only pleased her ripper urges. "Stop!"
"No," she groaned, relishing in his struggles. "I need your blood."
Drinking from him would drain her too. It would weaken her surely.
But Sasuke would never go down without a fight – she should have known that. Considerably weaker or not, he was still an original who managed to fight ferociously enough to create an opening, taking full advantage of it the moment it was revealed. Shit, she couldn't even be mad at the vicious sting of his teeth cutting effortlessly through her skin, not when the thrill surged through her once more, leaving her to writhe against him, her own teeth clamping down harder and threatening to tear chunks out of him.
"Ease up," he grunted into her bicep, nails biting into her skin when she willingly relinquished control at the mutual feeding frenzy. Sakura's back hit the ground more forcefully than necessary, and Sasuke's grin was positively vicious at the pain he caused. "Your blood is…"
Combined with Gaara's, Itachi's and now Sasuke's also, she knew her blood was fucking delicious. Part of her even envied Sasuke in that moment.
Unable to resist any longer, Sasuke tore at the straps of her camisole and his mouth dropped to her shoulder, purposely leaving her skin a bloodied mess as he sloppily bit into her. To make up for it, he offered up his wrist, allowing her to continue feeding with a grateful groan.
"W-Why does it feel so…?"
"Euphoric?" he supplied in a grunt.
Yes.
Sasuke was only just able to part from her body, the disgust and hatred in his gaze unmistakable but his thirst too demanding to be ignored. "It's the ultimate high," he muttered.
"More," she pleaded.
"You've had your fill," he growled lowly and with a hand covering her face, shoved her head back into the ground, teeth coming down on her neck without a shred of remorse.
But that was okay, Sakura quickly came to realise with a pleasurable start and instinctively, she clutched him closer, encouraging Sasuke wordlessly to continue fuelling them both as he finally fed himself. That vicious ache was finally subsiding, replaced with a powerful relief that heated Sakura wonderfully like feeding was supposed to – only, it ran deeper than just the average hunt and even in such a vulnerable position, she couldn't resist caving because even second-hand, the ripper rush was absurdly intense. It left her breathless, body tingling, ears ringing.
"Shit," Sasuke grunted, nails cutting into her wrists as he pinned them above her head. He absolutely refused to look at her while shifting to another part of her neck, breathing shaky as he fought for control. "This is…"
"Keep going," she begged deliriously.
After a thousand years of striving for control, however, Sasuke eventually managed to break away from his lock. It caused him pain to do so, Sakura noticed as she also experienced it, but he remained firm. Composed.
Unlike her.
Somehow, she managed to stand on weakened legs. All wounds were already healed now that they were both sated, though nothing seemed to make a dent on the nauseating pit in her stomach.
She…
Disgust towards herself had Sakura giving in to the weight of her emotions, slipping soundlessly down the wall and carelessly wiping her mouth clean.
Gaara, she thought hopelessly. If she couldn't reach him at that point then there truly was nothing she could do to prevent a repeat.
"Do you…" Damn it, why was she even talking to him? Why couldn't she get a damn hold of herself? Why did she feel so… uncomfortably vulnerable? "Do you do that often?"
"Share blood? No." Snorting at her grimace, Sasuke assessed his bloodied arm while it healed. "Being a ripper isn't like joining a club. We don't gather on weekends and share horror stories and support one another." Finally, he looked her way and raised a challenging eyebrow. "Most rippers experience bouts of possessiveness and grow too territorial to allow other vampires to feed near them, never mind another ripper who's a risk to their feed." He sighed irritably at the sight of his lover's broken form, and Sakura grimaced as she belatedly realised that she'd more than likely screwed up her plans. "Being in the presence of another ripper makes me nauseous."
He couldn't dispose of her as he would the others, though. Mainly due to the linking spell but also because Itachi wouldn't allow it. Possibly Naruto too.
"How often…?"
There was zero remorse when looking back to her. No pity. He took great delight in telling her, "The thirst is permanent. It took me centuries to try and control my urges and even now after a thousand years, as you know, I slip up." The darkness in his expression had her scowling, but it was his damning words that really got to her. "You have no hopes in managing it. Not on top of your own thirst."
"Bastard. You're enjoying this too much."
"If you don't like it, undo the spell."
"If I undo the spell, you'll kill me," she snapped back.
His smirk was harsh, cold. It held deadly promises that she knew to be wary of because any less and it really would be the end for her. "Yes, I will."
She vehemently refused to join them after…
Gods, she couldn't even think about what she'd done without cringing. It wasn't even remorse at that point. Just pure, pungent disgust that left Sakura nauseated and winded.
How the hell could she let herself go like that?
Naruto wasn't thrilled, but he'd made it a point to stand by her side and try to comfort her until Sakura snarled at him to leave her alone. She didn't want his understanding. She didn't need his experience with rippers and the damned, painful emotions that flooded them in the aftermath. "Stay with your boyfriend," Sakura had fumed, unable to withstand the shame. "Why the hell are you hanging around me?"
He still checked in on her. Continued to sit in her presence until her foul mood scared him away. He really was a helpless mutt.
Two days had passed since that dreadful day and as Sasuke promised, the thirst returned with a vengeance, but fortunately for her, he was handling it better somehow. Sakura didn't care how. As long as she wasn't succumbing to that pitiful wreck once more, he could do whatever the hell he wanted. That selfish thought only rooted itself deeper when she fell deeper into that so-called depressive episode following a binge (Naruto's wording, since she had little else to go on).
Apparently her former lover also took note of the considerably lower animosity in the air and decided that was the best time to try and reach out. Wisely, he hadn't tried speaking with her until that point, understanding that with her mood being as volatile as it was, it'd only end in their fighting.
It didn't fill her with relief seeing him fully intact and well. Although Sakura could still recall the despair and regret as she tore him to pieces vividly, they'd come hand in hand with that convenient depressive episode Naruto told her about.
Still, she couldn't banish how extremely sad she'd been while draining him.
"We don't have long," Itachi announced the moment he appeared in the doorway. "The dark object I used will seal us away, though only for a short amount of time and to an unconfirmed extent." Sighing at her disbelieving expression, he added, "I wished to save this particular object, but now feels like the right time."
A dark object? Itachi had dark objects? Who the hell gave someone like him dark objects? Was it through his connection with witches? The one who cursed Sasuke, perhaps?
Dark objects were notoriously difficult to come across. Witches and warlocks protected them fiercely to prevent their misuse or sealed them away entirely if they were particularly vicious items. They were essentially cursed objects – anything could be one and nobody would know until it was too late. Her coven (Anko specifically) possessed several for emergencies, just in case they were ever drained or put on the spot. Sakura knew to steer clear after a nasty demonstration.
Refusing to show her unease, Sakura glanced behind the Uchiha. All was silent upstairs. She couldn't even hear Naruto's heartbeat or frustrated sighs anymore and it left an awful, uncomfortable sensation in the pit of her stomach as Sakura belatedly realised she'd grown used to him.
"What do you want?"
"We need to talk."
Hell no. She wasn't giving him the chance to manipulate her again! "Like hell–"
"Stay still," he ordered blandly.
Sakura was horrified when her body obeyed his commands, alerting her immediately to his compulsion. How the hell…? It wasn't supposed to be possible while juiced up on original blood, unless… Shit. Sasuke had almost drained her completely during his frenzy and with Gaara's blood already leaving her system at the time, that meant she'd only had Itachi's left. Of course he'd still be able to compel her.
"I need you to listen to me without interrupting."
Damn it, she couldn't even snarl at him. Couldn't lift a finger. All Sakura could do was stare up at him as Itachi came to kneel before her, close enough for her to be assaulted by the scent she once adored. She longed to shut her eyes, to hide the effects his proximity had on her, but it was impossible. Everything was laid bare before him.
"Once you are free, you need to run."
A/N - I'm enjoying writing this story way too much, which is good because I've just found that they've removed The Originals from Netflix! I'm fuming considering I'm stuck in bed most of the time and it's one of my comfort shows haha. This will have to do!
Thank you for your reviews!