Sacrificed To The Banished Prince

Chapter 34

Sakura was torn between hopeful and unsure as she watched the Haruno carriage pass through the palace gates from the window in the room she and Sasuke were sharing. Her husband had offered to take her downstairs to bid them farewell, but she declined. The only person she longed for was Hana, and the girl was out of reach for the time being.

This morning, the princess was woken by Sasuke, who explained that the young Haruno girl would travel home with her family. Then, once they were well enough to travel home to the Winterlands, she'd come stay with them. Kisame would also be joining them. Having Hana at the manor would be more comfortable for all involved, plus it gave one of the strongest known magic users of Konoha time to recuperate from overexertion.

'I pray she's safe until we meet again,' Sakura thought, worry etched into her brow as the carriage traveled far enough away that it began to disappear.

Tears welled in her eyes as she recalled how dull Hana's pretty blue eyes had been yesterday. She truly had seemed like an entirely different person. The princess looked down at her lap, picturing her cut up and bandaged feet as she sat in a chair. 'How long will it take for me to be well enough to travel? The sooner I recover, the sooner I can be of help to my sister.'

She wanted to experience the comfortable bond they'd shared. It'd been a long time since Sakura wanted something for herself so selfishly.

A warmth, like a stream heated by sunlight, suddenly tingled about the palms of her feet. A yelp passed the woman's lips as she flailed, ultimately landing on the floor on her bottom and fumbling to lift her dress to see what'd caused the sensation. A faint green light faded into her skin, like lotion being absorbed, just as she was able to unwrap the bandages. Sakura breathed heavily as she panicked and tried to wrap her mind around what'd just happened.

There was a soft knock at the door. Sasuke stepped in, noticed his pregnant and injured wife on the floor, and rushed to her side, "What happened?"

With trembling hands, the pinkette tried to grab onto his, but he was too busy searching her limbs for new injuries, dark eyes flickering to her face every so often, "S-Sasuke, I-!"

The prince froze, eyes widening as they landed on her feet. As gently as possible, he lifted one and brushed his thumb across it, "They've completely healed...."

Sakura nodded, still entirely terrified and confused, "I-I don't know what happened. It felt like I was standing in warm water a-and then there was a light-!" A squeak was muffled by Sasuke suddenly clasping a hand over his wife's mouth, him having lurched forward. Her knees were on either side of his hips as she stared at him with wide eyes.

He shook his head and searched her face intently before glancing at the still-open door. The sound of footsteps approaching met their ears and suddenly he was kissing her passionately. Unable to do anything but react, Sakura held onto his shirt for dear life and squeezed her eyes closed. It was clear that was what he wanted her to do, she just didn't know why.

"Newlyweds will be newlyweds, I suppose, but perhaps a bed might be better suited for such things than the floor. Your blushing bride is still recovering, after all, Nephew."

Humiliated at being seen in such an indecent state by the king, Sakura buried her face in her husband's shirt. His chest vibrated as he held her there with a hand to the back of her head, "Is there something you need, Your Highness?"

The pinkette's eyes opened to stare at Sasuke's shirt when the king responded, "Yes. I wanted to offer a word of advice. I, too, wished to hit Baron Haruno and knock that baseless pride from his face, but as an Uchiha, we must exhibit absolute control of our emotions."

'Sasuke hit my father? When did that happen? And why? I thought things were going relatively well at dinner last night.'

"Understood. My apologies. It will not happen again." The prince's instant subordination was confusing, too.