Empty Eyes: Book 1

Chapter 39-Mature Content

We spent a few days scouring the city for a way to gain access to the large stone castle that housed Amegakure's royal family. Sasuke wouldn't let me out of his sight the entire time, wordlessly insisting I don't stray more than an arm's length away at any time. If he couldn't be with me somewhere, I had to have one of the other two around. Not having any time alone was annoying, but I didn't complain because this was what I asked for. If I have to be babysat in order to be included, then so be it.

We visited shops, museums, and even parks to try and find a way in.

On day three, an opportunity finally revealed itself and not in a way we expected. Ino and I were freshening up in one of the restrooms of a small restaurant after having lunch with the Uchiha twins when a tall and exotic looking young woman joined us in the room.

We exchanged respectful bows in silence as she passed by us, only for her to spin on her heel and face us once more. Ino took a small step forward as though she was cautious of the stranger and I got the feeling she was listening in on the woman's thoughts and didn't like what she was hearing.

Either way, the woman offered a small smile, "You two are visitors to Amegakure, aren't you?"

Ino let out a nervous laugh, still trying to be polite despite her obvious discomfort, "Is it obvious?"

The woman's grin widened, but in a non-threatening way. Ino reached back to grab my wrist and I nearly jumped out of my skin when her voice rang through my head, "She caught your scent. We need to be careful."

Her gift just kept developing further. I followed my sister's lead as she bowed once more, "My name is Ino and this is my sister, Sakura. We come from Konohagakure."

So this woman is a vampire, too. She had short blue hair, bright orange eyes, and a few facial piercings, and introduced herself in a calm voice, "My name is Konan. I am the queen of Amegakure."

The blood drained from my face and I'm sure my mouth fell open in shock. This Konan was attractive and well-mannered, of course, but her clothing wasn't overly spectacular or expensive looking, not to mention she was in a small restaurant bathroom with no escorts or bodyguards so it surprised me straight to the bone that this is one of the royals we've been searching for.

Konan let out a small laugh at our response, covering her mouth delicately for a moment before waving a hand in dismissal, "I get that reaction quite a lot from visitors, " she offered us another kind smile, "Would you like to join me in the castle this evening for tea? I'd love to speak with you about Konoha as my husband and I have been wanting to visit for quite some time now."

Ino looked back at me for a moment before returning her gaze to the queen's, "Of course! What time would you like us to arrive?"

After ironing out some details about afternoon tea with Konan, Ino and I rushed back out to the boys and we all hurried back to the hotel. We didn't mention a word about meeting Konan until we were safe and sound in Ino and Sai's room. Sai looked shocked by the news and Sasuke looked annoyed, the latter kissing his new wife on the lips, "You did so well! We're very lucky-"

"This wasn't part of the plan."

We looked over at Sasuke, who had a glare on his dark features. My smile sank as I realized what he meant, but he continued, "Sakura's a human. We can't send her into a castle most likely filled with vampires."

Ino's brow furrowed, "Konan's heard the rumor about Sakura and suspects it's her, but I didn't sense any ill-intent. Besides, I'll be there so it's not like she'll be alone."

Ino looked at me for confirmation and I glanced over to meet Sasuke's gaze to speak in as calm a voice as possible, "We might not find another way inside."