Empty Eyes: The Sequel

Chapter 22

After the meal, we all went into the Sunagakure castle's dungeon to see if we could get anything from our prisoner: Deidara. To my surprise, screams and sounds of torture could be heard the moment the door to the stairs was opened. When we finally turned the right corner in the winding underground halls, I was surprised to see Sasori standing in front of the hostage's cell.

As soon as the redhead noticed us, the screaming stopped, and he looked our way, "Sakura. Hello."

It was slightly funny that I'm the only one he greeted when so many royals were around, but I felt relieved he hadn't been captured or killed and smiled as I bowed politely, "I'm glad you're alright. Did you receive our letter?" The others didn't say anything and simply stared and listened as we spoke.

"I did. Thank you for the warning. My family was kind enough to allow me to stay in the castle while awaiting further letters." His light brown eyes danced up and down my body before meeting mine again, "I am relieved to see you in good health."

He glanced behind me and seemed to hesitate, making me turn to follow his gaze. Both Sasuke and Madara were glaring at him without shame.

"Rest assured, the effects of your blood did not linger for more than seven days. I am in a clear state of mind now."

A sigh left my lips as I blushed and turned to face him again, "That's a relief...."

"If you two are done with your little reunion, can we get this show on the road, hm?" We both faced the cell as Deidara's hoarse voice left the dimly lit area.

A frown tugged at my lips. Sure, he attacked us out there, but he didn't seem happy about it and honestly appeared to have been considerably holding back. Plus, he was one of the only advisors in Amegakure that'd shown concern for my well-being after feeding on me during those days of hell. Up until the moment that their allegiance to Kaguya was made known, I actually liked him.

Still, I forced my disappointment and feelings of betrayal to take a back seat, "What show?"

His blonde hair was smeared with blood and messy, and his skin was littered with hundreds of cuts. I learned from Obito that a common practice for vampires is to bleed them out enough that they can no longer heal or use their other powers before trying any other form of torture. Judging by the massive, wet, black stain surrounding his shackled body, Sunagakure's no exception to that tactic.

"It'll be easier for everyone involved if you simply kill me now because I won't break. Save us all the time and effort."

My brows rose. Every other time I've heard him speak, he's been polite, friendly, and maybe a little more casual than other royal family members are. Now he's talking like he grew up in the streets like Ino or me.

"How did you know Sakura and the Uchihas would travel to Sunagakure?" Sasori asked without regard to the statement Deidara had just made.

Something flashed across the man's blue eyes for just a millisecond, but he quickly tucked it away so he could glare and spit out some insults at us all. Maybe I'm crazy, which is a severe possibility considering I saw things in the bathroom upstairs earlier, but it looked like guilt or hurt. My eyes danced between Sasori and the blonde man a few times as the questioning continued, but I didn't say anything.

After a few minutes, it became clear that Deidara wouldn't answer anything willingly. I was advised to go back upstairs unless I wanted to witness a more brutal approach to getting some information.

Matsuri pulled me along as she led me up the stairs and out of the castle so we could stroll casually through the windy streets of Sunagakure and catch up. Kankuro joined us. Everyone else remained downstairs to aid in getting Deidara to break and spill any and all info he may have about Amegakure.