Sasuke's eyes shot open, and he gasped for breath. There, on the floor in front of where he was sitting with his back to the side of the bed, was Lady Haruno. He didn't move a muscle. Instead, he stared in disbelief while recalling what he'd helplessly watched transpire last night. Never in his life had someone tried to speak with The Curse other than him. The fiance he murdered years ago only screamed. The sound would forever plague Sasuke's mind. His chest tightened as he snapped back into focus.

'...Is she breathing?' Sasuke's spine straightened as he looked over the woman's thin body, a sigh of relief becoming stuck in his throat when he realized she was alive. 'That demon didn't even try to help her after she collapsed! He just sat down and waited to see if she'd wake again. He truly is a monster. …I'm a monster.'

The Curse was right about him. He was a coward and a selfish one at that. How dare he feign concern for this woman when he didn't even have the courage to end his own life and effectively render the threat null?

A knock came at the door, and Sasuke's eyes lifted in time to see Sai enter. That was when he was reminded of Yamamoto's demise because the butler had to step over the corpse to approach. "My Lord, are you well?"

The prince's mouth was dry. He felt sick to his stomach as his gaze fell onto Lady Haruno once more, "Tend to The Lady before anything else. I fear she may have suffered internal injuries." He didn't dare touch her to determine for himself her condition. These were the same hands that caused her torment in the first place.

Sasuke rose to his feet as Sai lifted the unconscious woman, gritting his teeth when he recognized the bruising around her slim arms. The Curse really knew little restraint.

Long pink hair, dirtied with blood, fell over Sai's arm as he faced his master, "I'll send men to take care of Yamamoto's body. I'll personally inform his family while the maids and doctors tend to The Lady."

"Yes. Thank you," Sasuke muttered. The guilt may eat him alive.

While his room was being tended to, the man locked himself in the baths, overcome with angst. Just when he was sure things couldn't get worse, The Curse became obsessed with Lady Haruno. Never before had such a demon spared the life of someone whilst being physically unrestrained. Sasuke could feel The Curse's desire to tear her limb from limb, to feed into his lust until her body could no longer withstand the pain. Indeed, he'd viewed her as little more than an item or slave to be used for his amusement.

'What should I do to remedy this? Is there anything I can do at all?'

Dark, tearful eyes darted down to his hands, recalling how cold his fiance's skin had been to the touch. Her hair, long and the color of cherry blossoms, was soft between his fingers. Yesterday, when he caught a glimpse of her tending to the walkway outside, he hadn't managed to see her face.

'She's like a doll. I've never seen such features-' For some reason, the prince couldn't finish the thought because it felt untrue. Surely, he'd recall seeing someone with such eyes of emerald.

More than her appearance, Lady Haruno's behavior was startling. Sasuke had been under the impression that she simply wanted to escape her family like many other noble women, but he'd been incorrect. No, she wanted to die. She begged The Curse to do it. He'd only ever seen such desperation in the faces of the women who died as a result of their engagement.

'And her name is Sakura. I wasn't aware Baron Haruno had a daughter by that name.' She'd mentioned her illegitimacy, which led the prince to believe it when she insinuated her family had knowingly sent her to her death. He still wanted to know more about her background before proceeding with any responses.

That afternoon, upon being informed by Sai that the woman hadn't suffered any serious injuries and was simply malnourished and exhausted, he sent an order for the Haruno family to be investigated; to find out anything and everything about the pink-haired creature sleeping in his manor.

Two days passed, and The Lady still had not woken. Her handmaid, a promising young woman named Ino, appeared at his door. He stepped back to give her a wide berth, "Do you have news?"

She bowed, nervously avoiding his gaze, "The doctors believe she'll soon wake, but that isn't all I believe you should know."

'I feel an uncomfortable aura coming from this girl that isn't akin to what I usually perceive.'

"As you know, I've been tasked with caring for My Lady during her stay," Ino swallowed, bowing her head again. After pausing, she seemed to force herself to simply spit out what was on her mind, "My Lord, her body is littered with bruises and scars."

Sasuke's chest tightened. He nodded once, turning his gaze toward the closed closet doors across the room, "Yes, well, she was put through quite the ordeal." 'I truly am a monster. How will I ever make amends for something so atrocious?'

"No, My Lord. You misunderstand," Ino bravely met his eye, tears welling in her own, "I fear many of these markings are aged by days, months, or even years."

"...I beg your pardon. Are you suggesting The Lady has suffered abuse at the hands of Baron Haruno? Do you understand the consequences of making such an accusation?" Sasuke warned the blonde girl, unable to believe such a prominent man would allow a child of his, illegitimate or not, to be treated so poorly.

Ino lowered her head and begged, "P-Please believe me, My Lord! I would never make such an accusation if I wasn't sure! You'll understand if you see them for yourself!"

"It would be highly inappropriate for a man to view an unwed lady's bare skin, especially without consent."

"Oh, you're absolutely correct! I apologize for my insolence!" Ino's face turned red as she bowed further.

Sasuke thought for a moment before gesturing down the hall in the direction of the staircase, "We will ask Lady Haruno about this matter once she awakes. Until then, do not mention what you've seen to anyone else."

"Understood. Excuse me, My Lord."

The prince shut the door behind him, running his hands through his hair with a sigh. A week had barely passed since the noblewoman's arrival, yet she'd already experienced so much suffering by his fault. Usually, he was quick to come up with resolutions to problems, but this time he couldn't think straight.

Each dusk and dawn, The Curse would threaten to stop being so docile if Sasuke dared to do anything to separate him from Lady Haruno. 'How can I sit aside and let that beast torment an innocent person?' But there were so many at risk if he disobeyed. Yamamoto already died trying to help, and the prince didn't want to try calling The Curse's bluff a second time.

'Am I really considering marrying this woman just to appease him? She truly would be a sacrifice if I allowed it to happen. Can I simply sit aside and let her suffer just so everyone else can have a chance at remaining unharmed? There's no guarantee The Curse will behave just because he found someone that amuses him.'

That evening, his voice met his ears as he cuffed himself to the wall, "I wish to look upon her face. Leave me free." Sasuke bit back for the first time in years, "No. You'll only hurt others."

"What if I promise to behave?"

"The words of a demon mean nothing to me."

A cry of pain left Sasuke before he snickered, his skin crawling with electric aches, "What if I make a deal to only enter my sacrifice's room?"

The type of deal he was speaking about wasn't able to be broken. It was a well-known type of magic where if one breaks their vow, they're soul will be forced to submit to those on the receiving end of the promise. This was the first time The Curse had ever tried to reason with Sasuke without the threat of blood and violence. That alone made the prince hesitate.

"...You'll truly make a deal with me?"

"I vow to forever obey should I bring harm to another this night and break the deal. Do you accept?"

It didn't matter if Sasuke accepted the deal because The Curse had succeeded in distracting him long enough to take complete control of the body before the second cuff could be latched. As the prince's consciousness sank away, Akuma smiled and began freeing himself, "You should've accepted while you had the chance."

As soon as Akuma left Sasuke's bedroom, he ran into two butlers, who froze. He chuckled and walked right past them. When he made it to Sakura's room, he didn't bother knocking and simply entered, only to stop in his tracks when the two maids freshening up the unconscious woman screamed in surprise.

Red seeped into his vision as he stepped closer, "Who did this!"

Sakura was on her side with her front covered, but her back was bare, so he could see the dozens of scars and bruises that littered such pale skin.

The blond woman whom he recognized as his sacrifice's handmaid motioned for the other one to back away with her, "The bruises are from the incident earlier this week."

Akuma sat at the edge of the bed and brushed Sakura's long hair away from her back, "And the rest?"

"We're unsure."

Fire lit his rage, and he glared at the cowering women, "What?"

"I-I said we don't know! We've only known Lady Haruno for a short time, and she hasn't opened up to any of us."

With his enhanced senses, Akuma noticed a change in the thin being lying on the bed and barked, "Leave us if you value your pitiful lives."

"...You've awakened," he said quietly, turning his gaze onto Sakura. She groaned, curling slightly into a ball with a grimace. He frowned, "Will you not answer?"

Bright green eyes crept open, hazily at first. They quickly focused before turning onto him and widening, "Its Akuma?"

Sweet satisfaction warmed his chest, "You recognize your master. That pleases me."

When Sakura noticed her state of dress, her face turned red, and she fumbled to cover up while turning onto her back, "I-I feel…."

"You're unwell," he remarked. She stared in bewilderment before nodding, lowering her gaze from his and saying nothing.

'Her spirit is even weaker than our first meeting. Has she not been resting these past days?'

"Will you really not kill me?"

"Use my name when speaking to me, Sacrifice."

"Akuma." For whatever reason, hearing that word on such pure and innocent lips seemed sweeter than honey.

Despite knowing she wasn't healed from her injuries, he skipped the useless human formalities and went straight into trying to gain the knowledge he desired, "Was it your family who marked your skin so carelessly?"

The color left Sakura's face as she sat up, holding the thin blanket to her chest, "..."

Anger made Akuma's tone and volume harden, "Answer when I make inquiries."

"I-Its only because I deserved it, Akuma! They were punishing me for not benefiting the household as I should have been."

He scoffed, "This being the same family that sacrificed you to me, correct?"

She nodded, fingers tightening their grip on the blanket as her head turned away so he couldn't see her face.

In truth, Akuma didn't care about humans. He only cared about himself and preserving the vessel that walked while the sun was in the sky. For that reason, he became confused by the intense bloodlust that overcame him when he imagined what filthy creatures this girl must be the offspring of. He found himself reaching to hold strands of soft, pink hair. An unfamiliar sensation met his chest when Sakura's eyes squeezed closed. She swallowed anxiously but made no move to pull away.

'This mouse is frail, but she's not ignorant.'

Neither moved for a very long time. He simply studied the way her uniquely-colored locks flowed between his fingers while lost in thought.

For ten years now, he'd laid relatively dormant within that useless prince. Though he'd never admit it aloud, the vessel was too strong for him to take complete control. Until now, Akuma had been content to preserve his energy for an opportune day. Perhaps the secluded prince would fall severely ill or would be the victim of an assassination attempt from the crown. Either way, the body being weakened was the only way for Akuma to completely eradicate the consciousness of Sasuke.

Such an event had yet to come. In fact, the prince was diligent in training his body to become and remain strong. For dozens of hours weekly, he'd spend time practicing swordsmanship and horseback riding. Akuma's brow lifted as an idea occurred to him, 'Perhaps this is the perfect opportunity to gain complete freedom.'

Before being bonded to a twelve-year-old Sasuke Uchiha, he was one of Satan's strongest knights. Out of hundreds, he was selected to govern purgatory. It was there that he witnessed countless memories of pathetic humans. At some point in the eons of performing duties, his curiosity became strong enough that when a strange-looking wizard appeared from a black portal that'd formed out of thin air, he stupidly agreed to a summoning contract.

'If I can get this woman to fall in love with me, she may be convinced to murder the prince.' Humans were fickle and easy to manipulate. All Akuma had to do was behave in a way Sakura found appealing, and she'd eventually do his bidding without hesitation, no matter the request. 'I'll only have one opportunity to ask. If I do it and she refuses, I'll have to kill her so she doesn't tell the prince of my plan.'

"I wish to rest," he said bluntly. 'This woman is still pure. I can tell her interactions with men has been minimal. Her scent is mind-numbing.' Coming on strong to someone shy and inexperienced was a sure way to get things moving.

"Would you like to use my bed, Akuma? I'll find somewhere else to-" "Silence."

He tore the covers from her weak grasp and slid under them beside the thin woman. Immediately, she began to shake in fear. Though it was annoying, he pulled her into his chest so she couldn't see the hungry, lustful expression on his face, "Sleep. I've vowed to destroy any who would lay a hand on my belongings, haven't I?"

The amusement in his bones melted when sniffling met his ears. He didn't pull back but growled, "You're weeping? I have no use for a cowardly sacrifice." "N-No, um, it's not that, Akuma…."

Sakura's hands held onto his shirt. Confusion swept over Akuma, "Then what is it?"

"You mean it, right?" This time, he had to pull away because he had no idea what thoughts were passing through her head. The woman's tearful gaze met his, and she wiped at it with trembling fingers, "For the first time, I think I truly believe no harm will come to me in my sleep."

Akuma couldn't find any words. Stunned, he blinked when the woman's sobs strengthened, and she re-buried her face in his shirt. An odd, protective feeling overcame him. Cautiously, he placed a large hand on the back of her head to keep her close, "...Yes, of course. No one would dare test my rage."

Sakura cried for the better part of an hour before falling unconscious. All that time, the demon absently soothed her hair and waited for the trembles of her body to cease. Once she was asleep, he found himself unwilling to leave the bed. Irritation made him uncomfortable, but he said nothing aloud and tightened his hold around the tiny woman.

'There's nothing wrong with preserving a sacrifice, is there? She was given to me, so I'll do with her what I please.'