Sakura was head over heels for her husband in a way she never imagined she'd feel about anyone. She loved him before the wedding, but after their marriage was officially consummated, it was as if their souls had become intertwined. Perhaps it was just her that felt as such. Sasuke spoke about his feelings relatively often, but it was evident each time that it made him incredibly uncomfortable.

'That's just fine,' the pink-haired princess mused while chopping vegetables in preparation for dinner, 'He's more than proven himself a great man. I no longer need words to reassure my anxieties.'

The prince in question was not present. He'd taken Shadow to the nearest town, which was a few hours' ride away, for supplies. They'd only packed enough clothing for a couple of days, after all. Since they discovered just how compatible their bodies were, Sakura assumed he wanted to stay a while longer.

Blush warmed her face as affection swelled within her chest. 'To think that someone like me can feel this happy,' she sighed dreamily, reminiscing about how gentle and loving Sasuke had been last night.

Then, as all good things must end, the sad truth decided to make itself reappear in her head.

She mumbled to herself, lips turning downward, "This won't last. It can't."

Disappointment so strong overwhelmed the young woman to the point that tears welled in her eyes. Life always had a bittersweet way of showing Sakura what she could have before ripping it away. This would be the harshest experience other than the death of her mother. Now she was glad Sasuke was away. Yes, his presence often helps calm her, but not when his happiness was on the line.

With a resolute huff, the princess steeled her nerves. She'll do this, no matter what. The prince had rescued her from her pitiful existence and showed her unimaginable kindness and care. Because of this, she'd do anything to ensure his safety.

The sound of the door opening and closing met Sakura's ears, so she sniffled and wiped at the few tears that'd risen so her husband wouldn't notice and worry.

"Welcome back. How was the trip?"

Before she could even turn to lay eyes upon him, a sharp pain hit the back of her neck.

Then, she was unconscious.

Sakura's throat was so sore that she couldn't bear to even groan when she next awoke. It felt like someone had forced her to swallow pins and needles. Groggily, she blinked to clear her vision, but still, she couldn't see a thing. That was when she realized a thick cloth of sorts was tied over her eyes. Terror iced her veins, waking her the rest of the way. The woman tried to get up. She couldn't move far because something dug into her neck. When the rattle of a chain reached her ears, she realized some sort of collar was around her neck. It was tight enough that breathing was difficult, too. When she tried to call for help, unbearable pain shot through her throat. Confused, Sakura cried and attempted to remain calm, failing miserably.

'It must be an enchanted object, but who would kidnap me that has access to magic users? Where am I? How long have I been unconscious?'

As if those holding her captive could sense her wake despite her inability to make even the smallest sound, heavy footsteps were heard approaching somewhere outside the room she was in. Her pulse quickened with each one until the sound of some kind of lock being turned came, then a door opened nearby, and a voice she recognized but couldn't pinpoint met her ears, "You're a hard woman to find, y'know that?"

'I know this person, but from where…?' Sakura couldn't ask even if she wanted to because of the collar.

She bristled, scampering backwards until her back hit the wall when those heavy footfalls swiftly approached.

The scent of nicotine and the forest washed over her from the man. Only a millisecond passed that she could comprehend that before a resounding slap stung her face. It was so powerful that she stumbled to the side. Honestly, she would've fallen to the ground if the person didn't grab her hair to yank her upright. Her entire system was fuzzy with shock at the sudden rough handling, so she froze.

"If you try somethin' funny like last time, I'll make you wish you were fuckin' dead."

Sakura's hands fumbled blindly to the man's chest, if only to feel more stable.

His demeanor didn't seem less angry, but a hint of amusement met his voice, "Be a good girl, and I'll keep you in one piece until the prince comes looking for you." The man released the stunned princess so that she fell to the ground, scraping her knees and palms. He snickered, "For the most part, anyway."

A long time passed. It might have been days or even weeks. Sakura's blindfold was never removed, but after behaving favorably, she earned enough trust from her captor to have the chain removed from the collar. There were bathroom facilities in a tiny closet-like room that she had access to, but that was all. The woman wasn't even given a bed. Just an empty place to rot away in.

The same man was the only one to ever interact with her. He'd bring her one measly meal a day, often just some cold soup and plain bread, but she considered herself lucky she was being fed at all. As he had the first day, he also had a habit of slapping or shoving the poor pink-haired woman if she didn't follow orders quickly enough or if he was just annoyed and wanted to take out his frustrations.

He talked a lot, her captor. Never about anything note-worthy. Sakura listened only because there was a tiny chance he'd let something useful slip, but it didn't happen until she'd been locked away for so long, she'd given up hope of Sasuke ever finding her.

The man stood somewhere nearby as Sakura blindly ate while sitting on the floor. He'd been talking about some of his past jobs. She'd at least learned he was a mercenary for hire, and a skilled one if his tales weren't bravado.

"I've never so much as received a scratch from a target. A few times, one of my partners will backstab me, like when we first met, but none have been successful."

The stale bread became caught in Sakura's throat as she finally pinpointed who'd captured her. It was the magenta-eyed man that'd chased her through the forest when she'd been kidnapped from the royal palace. 'How'd he survive? I clearly saw him get stabbed through the stomach!'

She coughed, covering her face despite not caring whether or not this criminal found her polite. 'Then again, I should've died, too. If I hadn't been found and my rescuers hadn't had potions handy, I would've.'

A heavy hand hit her back, causing her to tense up in a panic. She fumbled to her knees, trying to get away from the violent man. He grabbed her hair and shoved her back to the ground, "Can't have you choking to death on me, Princess. The boss says your husband should arrive any day now."

During the first few days of captivity, Sakura tried to withstand the collar's punishment for speaking, but that time had long passed. She desperately clawed at the magical device around her neck, wanting more than anything to ask questions like why was she here? What did they want with Sasuke? Who was this crazy person's boss?

Luckily, she wasn't hit or shoved again for the rest of that day. She was left completely alone, though.

Another few days passed before anything of note occurred. Sakura, feeling helpless and defeated, had begun brainstorming ways to either escape or die trying. Her death would help Sasuke, yet she'd like to at least tell him goodbye. That was the only thing keeping her going.

On that fateful day, something new happened. The princess' captor wasn't alone. He was arguing with whoever'd joined him. She could hear his irritated voice as they approached from down the hall, "-it matter? It's not like we're gonna fuckin' let her go either way!"

The second person spoke quietly enough that she wasn't able to get a read on their voice or words, just that they did respond. Then, the door unlocked and opened. The usual man sounded uncomfortable, which was odd, "Have you, uh, y'know….?" Sakura waited for him to continue. After a pause, he did, though he sounded angrier, "You haven't had a woman's bleed, have you?"

Just like that, the world came to a standstill for the poor, captive princess. A choked sound passed her lips when she desperately tried to ask just how long she'd been there.

'Oh, God! Oh, no! Sasuke was supposed to have killed me by now! I never even considered the chance of conceiving!'

A cold, emotionless voice interrupted her panic attack, "Are you with child?"

Tears flooded the cloth over her eyes, making it stick to her skin as she nodded, bowing low and holding her head in her hands.

Sakura didn't know what she expected, but it wasn't for the more familiar captor to cackle loudly, "We hit the jackpot, Kakuzu! We'll make more by selling a princess pregnant with a royal brat!" The woman shoved uselessly against him when he grabbed her arm and yanked her upright. "We'll be set for life!" "Release her, Idiot! We'll report this and wait for further instruction. The money is guaranteed this way."

So, the woman was left alone again. Like always, the tight cloth over her eyes couldn't be removed, just as the collar around her neck couldn't.

As more days passed, Sakura's spirit weakened further. She spent a lot of time praying to be rescued so that an innocent child wouldn't be put in danger, especially one belonging to her sweet and gentle husband. There wasn't a single moment where the princess wondered if Sasuke was searching for her. She knew he was. She just didn't know if he'd make it in time. Now that her life wasn't the only one on the line, Sakura wasn't considering taking her own life. No, she was going to get out of here before giving birth, even if it meant having to do it all by herself.

Sorry for the shorter chapter. I wanted to get an update out there since you've all been patiently waiting.

I just finished my last final on Friday, so I should go back to updating at least once a week going forward. Here's to another school year completed!