For the first time in her life, Sakura actually felt as though she was useful and wanted. She had a purpose, and that was to rescue Prince Uchiha from his curse.
'It'd be easier if that curse wasn't so human-like,' she thought to herself while walking by Akuma's side through the halls of the manor. It was the middle of the night, but he didn't care if she'd normally be sleeping at this time. She didn't dare say something, either.
"You're still quiet, Mouse. When will you loosen your tongue? I've become bored."
Sakura's gaze fell to the ground as they continued their leisurely stroll, "I'm sorry. Is there something you wish to speak about, Akuma?"
The demon remained quiet momentarily before he suddenly pressed the Haruno woman to the wall, leering down at her with glowing red eyes, "Tell me, Sacrifice. If you could have anything you desire, what would it be?"
Her limbs trembled fearfully as she pressed her palms to his chest. She didn't dare try shoving him away because it'd only anger him further. "D-Desire? I am happy with what I have now."
"You must be joking. You have nothing but temporary riches and a weak fiance who pretends to care for you because it's in his best interest. How can you be happy?"
"Akuma…" She breathed, sucking in a gasp when one of his hands wrapped loosely around her throat so his thumb could lift her chin. In a moment of desperation to calm his irritation, she answered honestly, "Truthfully, I never imagined having clothing or a bedroom like these. I never thought I'd be treated so wonderfully by others. All my life, that's all I've yearned for, so I don't know what else I could possibly want."
That same odd expression that'd been showing up lately crossed the demon's features. He searched her face with a frown before whispering in a tone reminiscent of one Prince Uchiha often used, "If I show you pleasures beyond your wildest dreams, would you develop a will to live?"
'What did he just say?' Sakura was only confused for a second before realizing that his goal was to ruin the prince's plans of being rid of him.
She changed the subject, "What will happen to you?"
"Have you grown to care for a demon?" The woman couldn't respond because she was too lost in his red eyes. Akuma quietly said, "I'll return to purgatory, where fate claims I belong."
"P-Purgatory?"
"That is what I said."
Even someone with little world knowledge or experience, like Sakura, could tell that Akuma was not keen on the idea. Cautiously, her fingers loosely clutched his shirt, her green eyes searching his handsome face, "Is being only allowed to live at night truly your preferred existence?"
"It is not."
"Then why-" "If this body becomes weakened and vulnerable when the full moon is high, I may be able to fully eradicate the cowardly prince and have it for my own."
'What?! Prince Uchiha never mentioned that!'
Before Sakura could verbally respond, Akuma continued, "Back on the topic of desires. You've pledged to do as I request, have you not?"
She nodded, averting her eyes nervously, "O-Of course, in exchange for you not bringing harm to anyone else."
'I don't think I'll like where this is going….'
One moment, Akuma was staring deep into her eyes, making it hard for the woman to breathe because she was so anxious and unsure of what the uncontrollable demon might do. Then, he was carrying her princess-style down the hallways until they reached the baths. Sakura's face warmed immediately when she was placed on her feet once more, and Akuma began unbuttoning his shirt. 'What is he doing?! I've never seen a man naked before.'
"Start the bath. I wish for you to attend to me as a maid might their master."
"You want me to, um, wash your hair?" Her fingers fumbled as she did as ordered. The sound of the man undressing made the hairs stand up on her arms though it was getting warm and steamy in the bathroom from the hot water.
Akuma chuckled amusedly, "Won't you look at me? This is the body of your intended, is it not?"
Sakura squeezed her eyes closed and shook her head while listening to him get into the rapidly filling tub. She was terrified to steal even a glimpse.
"Ah, my innocent little pet. Fear not," Akuma mused, "I won't force you into anything…At least for now. There's still too much unknown about your past."
When he made it known that the coast was clear, the pinkette dared to creep her eyes open before relaxing upon seeing the water had risen to the prince's upper torso. He grinned devilishly, "If you allow your eyes to wander like this, I'll have no choice but to make you mine."
'What is he talking about?' "Am I not already yours? You said that I belong to you." Cautiously, Sakura wetted the man's messy black hair, applied the expensive soap to it, and began to massage the substance into his roots.
He allowed his head to fall back, red eyes locking onto her wide green ones. He seemed genuinely intrigued, "Surely a woman of twenty-two years understands the meaning of truly belonging to someone. Are you being coy?"
Sakura was not being coy. In fact, she was completely lost. The average woman was taught about reproduction and marital duties when they first reached puberty; that way, they understood the reason behind the studies they were given on how to run a household. All of this was, of course, in preparation for the marriage they'd one day experience. Sakura was never expected to be anything other than a victim for her family, so the only schooling she'd received was how to read and write. That was when she was very young, and her mother was alive. After her mother's death, that all stopped. As a result, the woman was blissfully ignorant of all things sexual and intimate.
'I feel like a child that's too young to understand what an adult is speaking about.' "I'm…."
"Let us speak of other things lest I have a lapse in self-control."
"Yes, Akuma."
Being around this demon each evening was taking its toll on the pinkette. It wasn't that he was abusing her. In fact, other than forcing her to be in his company and referring to her in derogatory ways, he treated her better than any of her family members had. No, it was the confusion and insecurity in the knowledge that this was an actual demon, not a human.
"You're surprisingly adept at this," the topic of her thoughts breathed.
She snapped out of her deep thoughts and looked down to see Akuma had closed his eyes and relaxed with his arms on the lip of the tub. Her fingers were still massaging his scalp. The steam and warmth suddenly made her exhaustion more apparent. Her inhibitions weakened as her eyes drooped, a small smile tugging at her lips.
When she spoke, it was quiet and gentle to not disturb the calm aura of the room, "Until I arrived here, I had no one attending to me. It's been difficult adjusting to Miss Ino."
The demon remained quiet and still. She felt he wished for her to continue speaking, so she did, musing absently while continuing to wash his hair, "I feel so incredibly blessed to have had the chance to meet everyone here, even you. Regardless of how this experience comes to an end, I'm grateful that I had the chance to leave home for the first time."
"When I was young, my mother told me about so many things. She was a traveling dancer, so she visited many countries and experienced various cultures. I remember my favorite story was about her first love."
Sakura began rinsing Akuma's hair of soap, her actions and words more natural now that the anxiety had faded, "It wasn't with my father, of course. She wouldn't tell me her love's name but said it was love at first sight for them both. He was a member of the traveling group she was a part of."
She giggled, tilting her head whilst admiring the prince's elegant features, "According to her, it was like they could communicate without speaking as soon as they were introduced. I remember her telling me to look for someone who can be my friend first and my lover second when I'm of age, like how it was with them."
"If it was love at first sight, then they were never friends. These ideals are thick with naivety."
"Huh?"
The man's eyes remained closed, but he responded, "If one truly loves another, it is impossible to be friends."
Sakura disagreed entirely. In fact, she was so offended by his blatant insult to her mother that she almost said so but instead clamped her mouth closed and focused on finishing up so she could go to bed. 'What would a demon know of love?'
In the morning, Sakura was surprised to be joined by the prince at breakfast. She fumbled to her feet in order to bow, "Good morning, My Lord!"
"Did we not agree to call one another by name?"
Her face warmed as she nodded and sat down across from him at the large table, but she said nothing, 'He seems to be in a terrible mood. I should try to distance myself to not upset him.'
They ate in silence, though Sakura found the environment too tense. It was difficult to stomach anything with the heavy atmosphere that reminded her so much of home she could almost be sick. Prince Sasuke barely spared her a glance, but she did catch him glaring at her a few times before she completely lost the ability to lift her eyes from the plate. Outwardly, she was meek, pale, and trembling in fear. Inside, her mind was running swiftly.
'I had to have done something wrong, but what was it? Will he call off the engagement and send me back to my family?'
"The announcement of our engagement will be in three days at the castle. The king will hold a ball in our honor. We will leave tomorrow morning, so prepare yourself for travel."
Sakura lowered her head in response, wordlessly confirming her intention to obey. For the rest of the day, the pair avoided one another. At night, Akuma visited but allowed her to sleep instead of waking her for once. The next morning, Ino dressed Sakura up in one of the new dresses the prince had purchased for her and escorted her out to the large carriage.
"Are you not accompanying me?" The pink-haired woman asked with a frown when her handmaid began exiting the carriage after verifying she was properly seated.
Ino paused, smiling reassuringly, "There isn't enough staff here at the manor for any of the maids to come along, My Lady, but rest assured the royal family will take great care of you during your stay."
"Oh…Okay. Thank you," Sakura nodded. Ino was the closest thing to a friend she had in this life, though the pinkette wasn't foolish enough to believe the blond would put up with her pathetic antics if she wasn't ordered to by the prince. Still, that blanket of comfort would be missing amidst this trip.
The door to the carriage reopened moments later, making the poor woman jump in surprise. Prince Sasuke entered, wordlessly sitting across from her. She was so bewildered that she wasn't able to bite her tongue in time to not ask, "We're in the same carriage?"
Dark eyes flashed up to lock onto hers, making her want to shrink away in fear, "Is that a problem, Lady Sakura? I'll ride horseback if you're uncomfortable."
To Sakura, it sounded like he was threatening her not to be high-maintenance and rude, so she shook her head with wide eyes, "N-No, it's fine. I'm sorry."
Neither said another word as they began traveling. Sai and a few other guards were riding horseback while the coach was up front, outside the carriage.
The trip to the royal palace took nearly an entire day. Sakura and the prince exchanged very few words the entire time, leaving the poor woman's nerves on edge. She was too afraid to ask what she'd done to cause the sudden shift in behavior. When they were ordering dresses, Sasuke was quiet, calm, and warm, but now the silence was ice cold and calculating, like he wasn't missing a single thing she did.
By the time they arrived at the palace, it was the middle of the night. Sakura didn't expect a welcoming party because of this and suspected it was her fiance's intention to avoid such a thing by having them arrive at such an odd hour.
Though Akuma didn't to also appear upset with her, he quietly exited the carriage first and offered his hand to aid in her own exit. She nervously accepted the polite gesture, releasing his hand the moment her shoes were on the ground.
The demon's red gaze lifted from her face to behind her. She also heard approaching footsteps, so she turned, only for strong arms to envelope her in a strong hug, "Welcome, my soon-to-be niece!"
