Empty Eyes: The Sequel

Chapter 20

Sasuke ripped the thick plant apart between the two of us, Madara turning to pull the rest out from behind him, and then we were on the run again. I stumbled, a hand to my bleeding sternum.

We didn't get far because Madara and I couldn't move nearly as fast with our very slowly-healing injuries before a familiar face suddenly appeared. "Zetsu? This is all Amegakure's doing?"

The odd-looking man's light side grinned almost excitedly, "Consider yourself lucky. I'll make it fast compared to others."

Sasuke tackled the strange vampire and fought for a moment before Zetsu bit into his arm, rendering it useless with his paralyzing venom. My disbelief fueled my rage when I saw the deep red color of Sasuke's blood, and then I wasn't in control of myself anymore. No, I was recklessly attacking the enemy with little regard for anything or anyone else. I don't know what Madara's doing, and I don't care.

All I want is to murder the man who hurt my love, to tear him limb from limb and drain him dry. Satisfaction coursed through me with each landed hit, whether it was him hurting me or the other way around. The violence made me happy.

"It's true, what Hidan said,'' Zetsu said as he blocked another hit and tried to put some distance between us, but I kept coming without relenting. "You're different, more than just a vampire."

A snarl slid past my teeth, and I finally caught up and sank my nails into his arm. With all my might, I slid to the ground and used my weight to bring him down. As we rolled about the tall greenery, we fought, nails drawing blood and trying to bite one another.

Finally, I gained the upper hand and bit into his neck on the dark side of his body. The taste was awful, the most disgusting thing I've ever had. I kept on, though, because I was too enraged to think properly about what was happening. The bones in my arms and shoulder were crushed as he fought against me, his teeth sinking into my forearm to begin paralyzing me, but I ignored all that too.

"Sakura, stop! It's poison!"

Someone suddenly grabbed me around the waist and all but threw me away from my prey. My back hit a tree, and I slid down, snapping out of my daze in surprise. It was Madara who threw me, and I watched as he held the weakened Zetsu down so Sasuke could tear the man's heart out.

Then I finally felt the pain from my injuries, my eyes tingling as they undoubtedly turned back to their usual green. I looked down to see the hole in my stomach was still very much open and bleeding heavily; both of my arms were damaged and bitten, and it also felt like something icy was making its way through my body, rendering me unable to move.

"We need to find somewhere to hide so we can bleed and feed her, or she's as good as dead." Sasuke glared as Madara picked me up but didn't say anything and simply followed him as he began running.

We found another cave, this one a bit bigger, and I was using every bit of my strength to stay conscious when Madara propped me up against a stone wall inside. He didn't bother saying anything to me but barked orders at Sasuke, who surprised me by immediately obeying, "Suck out as much blood as you can but don't swallow it. I'll feed her since yours is infected, too."

Sasuke bit into my forearm, over the mark Zetsu had left, and got a mouthful of blood before spitting it out and repeating the process. The look on Madara's face threw me off guard, but I couldn't do much to react as he bit into his wrist and forced it to my lips. On instinct, my teeth sank into his skin, and I squeezed my eyes closed as I drank from him, ashamed.

Slowly, over the course of the next five minutes, feeling returned to my body, and my many wounds healed. The ice in my veins turned into a wildfire, hot and uncontrollable. When both men stopped, Sasuke licking his bite marks away and Madara tearing his arm from my mouth, my eyes shot open, and I gritted my teeth when I realized both of their eyes were glowing, just like mine.