Sacrificed To The Banished Prince

Chapter 19

Sakura didn't remember how she lost consciousness, but she did recall what caused it when she woke the next day. Her entire body felt heavy, as though her blood had been replaced with lead. Nausea churned her stomach to the point that it was impossible to ignore, but not enough that she could actually be sick and rid of the awful sensation.

As her memories returned, her breath hitched. The pulse in her ears became as loud as claps of thunder. A gut-wrenching sob passed her lips as she curled in on herself, her hands on either side of her head as though squeezing hard enough would make the disgusting images disappear forever.

"Lady Sakura! You're safe! No one will hurt you!" A familiar voice spoke reassuringly, though slightly panicked.

Her eyes crept open to see long, dark hair through blurred and watery vision. She shook her head, pleading through her sobs, "I-I-! Make it stop!"

Large hands tried to pry hers away and succeeded, only for her to clench hers into fists and attempt to pull away. "Where is he?" The voice asked someone, not her.

Another voice, this one also somehow familiar, responded, "No one knows." There was a pause, but Sakura was too busy trying not to lose her mind to care.

"What do we do?"

The sound of someone else crying met the pinkette's comprehension, and she heard Ino's voice from somewhere in the room, "Isn't there a spell you can do to help her? She's suffering!"

The door to the room suddenly burst open, and then the only sound was the traumatized woman's sobbing.

Whoever had been holding her wrists released them, and she went back to clutching her head, nails digging into her scalp.

"Leave."

Her eyes shot open when she heard Sasuke's voice, but it didn't make everything better. Moments later, she felt a weight on the bed beside her. Then, strong arms were holding her tightly enough that she couldn't move. The smell of the forest and fresh snow distracted from the salt of her tears. Sobs slowly became softer until she was crying quietly.

Only then did Sasuke say something. He whispered into her hair hoarsely, "It's not your fault."

'He's lying. He just wants me to calm down so he can figure out how to be rid of me.'

"You did nothing wrong. He's the monster."

Sakura's voice cracked as she tried to speak coherently, "I'm a whore."

"You are not," he said in his full voice, no longer whispering.

She opened her eyes to look down where his arms were holding her so tightly, her chin quivering as she felt his pulse quicken against her back.

"You're not disgusting or used up. Nothing he said was true."

She sobbed again because she realized Sasuke, too, had witnessed her attack, not just Akuma, "I-I didn't want this!"

Sasuke pressed his lips to the back of her head, his breathing uneven, "I know, and I'm sorry, but now I can make sure it never happens again."

She sniffled, mumbling in disgust, "How can you possibly stand being close to me?"

There was a long pause before he kissed the back of her head, "When I look at you, all I see is my fiance."

That was when the pinkette became quiet enough to listen clearly because his words were unexpected. Sasuke spoke uncharacteristically warmly. Maybe it was because she wasn't looking at his face that he had the courage to do so. "I only see you, Sakura. That's how it's been since we agreed to marry, and that's how it will continue to be."