Empty Eyes: The Sequel

Chapter 45

To prevent the wedding guests from panicking, Naruto was discreetly pulled away to help his new bride change and calm down so the reception could proceed. Fugaku and Mikoto summoned three times more Militia to guard the inside and outside of the castle. It was bittersweet to see what should be the happiest day of their lives become tainted by something that could be construed as my fault. If I wasn't here, then they wouldn't have been targeted, after all.

And how did Amegakure's royal family get their hands on Tsunade and Jiraiya, much less overpower them? Who am I kidding? It'd be easy if they had someone like Orochimaru on their side. Even if they've cut ties, the trio are still quote-unquote siblings. They share blood, and bonds like that aren't easy to completely disregard. It's likely if the serpentine man is genuinely alive, the duo hesitated just enough to lose the fight.

Now, I'm left wondering what course of action I should take. If they've truly been taken, there's no way I can ignore Kisame's message, but what if he's bluffing? If I run off to Iwagakure, alone or not, there's a good chance this is a big trap.

All of this fighting and death is beginning to truly take its toll on me. I'm sick of constantly having my life and the lives of those I love threatened. It's like the moment we get rid of one enemy, two more pop up, and I'm sick of it. I just want to rest. I want to be with Sasuke, my family, and my friends. Is that too much to ask for? A little peace?

"Stop. You're making it worse," Sasuke's firm tone pulled me from my panicked thoughts.

As much as I want to be at the reception celebrating Naruto and Hinata's marriage, if I show up with these black veins running up my arms and my skin white as paper, I'll only cause a commotion. After successfully returning the Hyuuga heiress safely to her new husband, the prince sent everyone back to the ballroom and helped me into the kitchen.

Leaning weakly against the counter as he fished through the cabinets for something, I gritted my teeth and averted my eyes to my trembling fingers. I can't afford to be weak like I am right now, not with danger on the horizon yet again. People are counting on me to keep them safe. How long will it take for my energy to be restored? Is there something I can do to speed things along?

"Drink."

A wineglass was in Sasuke's hand as he offered it to me, full of a familiar, thick red liquid. Gingerly accepting it, I nervously swallowed, "...Is this...?"

"Human blood, yes. Drink it, Sakura."

Fire shot down my throat as the delicious scent met my nose. The canine teeth in my mouth sharpened naturally, but I hesitated, "Where did this come from? Who's blood is it?"

Ire met his dark eyes as he glared, but he didn't say anything. He didn't need to because his expression accurately communicated that I'd better shut up and follow his orders, or he would lose his temper.

Heat met my face as I huffed and lifted the wine glass to my lips, barely keeping myself from yelling at him out of anger. Then, when the blood met my tongue, my irritation was forgotten entirely. Sure, Sasuke and Madara's blood was incredible, but it still wasn't from a human. In an attempt to not look like I couldn't control myself, I somehow managed to not recklessly chug the rest of the glass and sipped it silently at a tempered pace.

He moved to lean against the counter beside me, not saying a word.

Ignoring him because my feelings were still hurt by our argument days ago, I pouted with my gaze focused downward. It was increasingly evident that we'd underestimated my exhaustion. No one said it, but everyone was thinking about it.

Usually, drinking blood would put me in a particular mood where I'd have to excuse myself with Sasuke to a place where we could be alone, but that wasn't even happening. In fact, the liquid didn't even offer its sought-after rejuvenating sensation. For all I knew, it could've been regular wine in that glass that just so happened to taste like blood.