"Hoo... hoo... ugh..."
Matou Sakura would occasionally let out muffled whimpers while lying in bed, as if she was dreaming of something terrifying. Soon, she abruptly sat up.
She was currently wearing a white shirt. Although it was clearly winter, large beads of sweat continuously slid into her soft E-cup cleavage. It seemed the nightmare had caused her to sweat profusely.
"Awake?"
Only after Matou Sakura's breathing calmed down considerably did Akatsuki speak.
...
Matou Sakura remained silent, lowering her head. Through her expression, Akatsuki saw traces of timidity and self-blame. The Shadow of long-term abuse in the Matou Family was like maggots clinging to bone; normally manageable, but once she made a mistake in front of an "elder," her heart would be overwhelmed with fear.
Clearly, Akatsuki was subconsciously treated as an "elder" by Matou Sakura, although this was not what Akatsuki intended.
"Sakura, are you hungry?"
Akatsuki sliced her finger and placed her palm in front of Matou Sakura. Blood flowed from the wound into her palm. The bright red blood held an irresistible temptation for Matou Sakura, who was already a high-ranking Dead Apostle.
However, she turned her head away.
Akatsuki sighed softly. "Eat first, then we'll talk about the rest. You wouldn't want to lose control of your Bloodlust Impulse tonight and go on a killing spree in the streets, right?"
Matou Sakura's body trembled slightly. She still didn't speak, but cautiously cupped Akatsuki's hand, lowering her head to lick the blood from Akatsuki's palm.
Akatsuki quietly waited for Matou Sakura to finish licking the blood from her palm. Someone once told her that it was difficult for any species to maintain rationality when hungry. Therefore, if she wanted to have effective communication with Matou Sakura, she had to wait until Matou Sakura was full.
Before long, Matou Sakura released Akatsuki's hand, whispered, "Thank you for the meal," and lowered her head again.
The blood in her palm automatically returned to Akatsuki's body, and the wound on her finger quickly healed. Akatsuki looked at Matou Sakura sitting on the bed and asked, "Are you feeling better?"
No answer.
Matou Sakura remained silent with her head bowed, seemingly waiting for something. Akatsuki could generally guess what it was. Escaping shadows that lasted decades was easier said than done, but she had experience dealing with this situation.
"If you are waiting for punishment, I advise you to give up, as I am only proficient in methods of torture."
Akatsuki, hands in her pockets, leaned against the bedside. She hadn't expected to say this phrase to a second person in her lifetime. The girl in her memory gradually overlapped with Matou Sakura before her, but Akatsuki did not confuse the two; she was no longer the person chasing the shadows of the past.
Matou Sakura is Matou Sakura.
"It seems everything around me is terrifying..."
Matou Sakura still had her head down. Her voice was weak and somewhat hoarse, like a piece of shredded paper, ready to collapse at a touch.
"Whether it was the father who adopted me into the Matou Family, or the Matou Family grandfather, or my pathetic older brother... being thrown into the darkness full of worms every day, even having my food poisoned... the ordinary people I killed after turning into the shadow..."
"It's so scary..."
As if trying to escape everything, Matou Sakura curled up her body. Her body trembled slightly, whether from inner fear or because she felt cold.
Akatsuki would not say irresponsible things like, "The past is in the past." After all, she wasn't Matou Sakura and couldn't truly empathize with her. So, she remained silent, listening quietly to what Matou Sakura had to say.
"Hey, why did I have to go through all this? Why did it have to be me?"
Sobbing reached Akatsuki's ears. Matou Sakura's psychological endurance was nearing its limit. At this moment, she was weak, pitiful, and helpless, like a lost child who, after enduring suffering, still hadn't found the way home.
She once expected her Older Sister, who had become a hero, to save her.
Unfortunately, her Older Sister never came.
She once wanted her respected Senior to stay away from the Holy Grail War.
Unfortunately, he was ultimately dragged into it.
When the Matou Family was destroyed, she once fantasized about no longer living in fear. Although she was subsequently bound by the True Ancestor named Akatsuki, at least she wasn't as terrifying as her grandfather.
She wouldn't throw her into piles of worms or inflict violence upon her.
The only requirement was to seal away her feelings for her Senior and simply obey Akatsuki.
She originally thought she had completely broken ties with the Matou Family, but fragments of the Holy Grail from the Fourth Holy Grail War had been implanted inside her by her grandfather, turning her into that kind of monster, and she almost hurt everyone.
None of the things she hoped for happened, but the things she hated kept happening one after another.
"It's very painful, and very scary, isn't it..."
Akatsuki placed her hand on Matou Sakura's head and slowly stroked her hair. "But the pain and terror end here. Matou Zouken is dead, and Shinji Matou is no match for you. The potential threats have been eliminated; you don't have to worry anymore."
"If you don't want to participate in the Holy Grail War, you can hand Rider over to me. In short, no one will be able to bully you from now on."
Meeting her confused gaze, Akatsuki sighed slightly internally. Psychological trauma, besides guidance from others, ultimately required self-reliance to fully overcome.
"However..."
Akatsuki suddenly changed the subject, the corner of her mouth curving slightly upward. "One thing remains unchanged: you are mine. I don't want you to do anything out of line, do you understand?"
Matou Sakura's body trembled. She bit her lip, and conflict appeared on her tear-stained face, but she eventually nodded. After all, she had only converted into a Dead Apostle after drinking Akatsuki's blood, and that night a few days ago, she hadn't resisted Akatsuki as much as she thought she would.
"But you don't need to deliberately cater to me. Just be yourself."
Akatsuki raised her hand, and a Purple Ring Shaped Like a Cherry Blossom appeared on it. After handing the ring to Matou Sakura, Akatsuki stood up and told her, "Keep this with you. If anything happens to you, I can sense it immediately."
After leaving Matou Sakura's room, Akatsuki glanced at the bright moon in the sky, suppressing the darkness within her heart.
Everyone has secrets hidden deep within their heart.
"However, that atmosphere wasn't suitable for persuading little Sakura to become my personal possession..."
Even Akatsuki, who was oblivious to social cues, could somewhat sense that it wasn't the right time to say such things. Telling a heartbroken beautiful girl to become exclusively hers, and forcing her corruption if she refused, was something Akatsuki still couldn't accept.
"After all, not everyone is as perverse as the Young Mistress..."
Akatsuki sighed.
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