Trapped in the arms of a killer | SasuSaku [Completed]

VII.

VII. Black Market

Scared of being left again, Sakura accepted the fact, even though the man said it quite arrogantly, that she wouldn't survive in this weird place without him, for now.

She leaned her back over the tree trunk below the dark midnight sky, taking a rest with Snow snuggling over her chest and the man sitting above the trees' thick branch.

Sakura lay awake, carefully observing the beautiful star filled night sky above her while she gently caressed the smooth and soft fur of the sleeping baby fox. Crickets started to lay asound with gentle streams and hooting of owls as the tree leaves dance through the sweet breeze of the evening.

It had been music to the cotton candy colored hair lady who sat by the trunk. She doesn't even remember the last day she had felt this peaceful. It was strange to be feeling light over a place where beasts had hunted her down for dinner, but this was definitely and admittingly a place of great peace for her.

"H-hey," Sakura said quietly as she directed her face up by the tree branch where the man leaned his weight by the trunk. "I hope you don't mind me asking, what's your name?"

Moments of silence had taken over the place after Sakura asked her curiousity-filled question. She was, indeed, very mystified by the presence of this man. He was magical, or so, like this place she had been to. She had never seen anything like the beasts and animals she had encountered today, yet again, most especially this man.

"Are you listening?" Sakura repeated herself.
"It's none of your business." The man said coldly. Sakura sighed and narrowed her eyes, Mr. Arrogant then, she thought angrily.

"Thank you, for saving our lives, by the way." She blushed, she was embarrassed even by the mere fact that the man saved her life twice in a day. She had to be thankful for it even though this man was a danger himself.

"You shouldn't be thanking me." He said, landing on his feet with a soft thud by the ground, his dark onyx eyes carefully studying the round jade ones. "I have studied your actions when you ran off, it was clear to me you are foreign in this place, but to give you a clue on what I am to you in case you haven't noticed, I am your predator, I have spared your life in exchange for a better prize from another predator."

"B-better prize?" Sakura stammered. "You mean, you're really selling me?"

"That is how it works here, unless you fight me and transform yourself into a strong predator and stop being a useless prey." The man said, cracking his fingers, as if wanting the woman to battle. Is he crazy? Sakura thought as she swallowed over her deep dry throat.

"You want to fight with me? I'm a w-woman!" She said with rather exasperation on her voice.
"I've encountered and know many women with different abilities and skills, some rather fight and die - female alphas, some are intellectual with hundreds of ways to escape, and some use charms as one of their great weapons. Believe me, it is a powerful one for some men. Idiots specifically, I must say." The man cocked his head on the side and crossed his arms, as if studying and categorizing the woman who sat by the trunk to which one she belong with.

"What k-kind of charm is that?" Sakura asked curiously with a pang of hope. Well, she wasn't the kind of the woman who had abilities and skills appropriate for the situation she is in right now, nor intellectual enough to have hundreds of way to escape, and if she did, she was a dead meat for other predators anyway, so why bother. So maybe she had more chances with charms.

The man arched his eyebrow, smirking beneath his black clothed mask. Is she daring enough to use her charms with me? He thought.

"The usual. Beauty and body. Hoping their predator might spare their lives for a little time of pleasure for the night." The man said emotionlessly, showing no hints of interest to what this cotton candy colored hair woman might do next.

Sakura had expected that. Yet was she desperate enough to give herself physically to be free? She had to think about it as she grasped the hems of her knitted sweater. If she did go free though, wouldn't she just be a free walking meat for other predators instead?

"I-I rather be your prey than be dinner..for some.." Sakura sighed, thinking of the hopelessness if she went free.

She wanted to go home, yet she had no idea where she was or how will she go back, yet there's one thing she knew. This man would be somehow a way for her. Maybe he was the way in meeting the right person to talk to. Someone as normal and sane as she was.

For the rest of the night, the woman had slept by the tree trunk, snuggling with the white Kitsune by her side.

She had to be traded today, the man thought, yet she showed no ability nor skill that hardly any man would find useful. However, the mere fact that she held a deadly Kitsune and even treated it as a pet was something.

"Wake up," the man shouted from the branch. Sakura started stirring together with the Kitsune who seem to have had a good night sleep as well.

"Follow me." The man said, walking on a distance to a straight pace.
"Where are we going?" She scoffed off, trying to catch up with the big steps of the man who didn't seem to care at all while she slipped on her bag and carried Snow by her arm.

"Black market." He said rather casually, maintaining the same tone. Yet Sakura had no clue what or where was it, but she definitely didn't like the sound of it at all.

By almost an hour of walking, the sun was already up and the heat was definitely felt as the pink haired woman wiped her sweat with her sweater sleeves. Sakura placed her hands on her knees and tried catching her breath for a moment. She almost wanted to give up when finally she heard number of muffled voices nearby.

The sound of laughters, people having conversations, coins and metalic things clanging, were just one of the few things that could be heard.

Yet Sakura had had her hopes here too. Perhaps someone normal like her could explain what was going on or what was this tribe.

"Hide your Kitsune." The man said as he looked over the midst of the crowd by the area. Sakura, though confused, gently opened her backpack for Snow to take refugee, and peeking over the place, she had found it very similar to the wet markets of Kyoto.

Only this place was mostly composed of men on weird outfits, armors and some covered their faces with weird looking masks that cover almost half of their faces, some covered all.

And some wore things that wasn't even understable like as if they just thought of wearing it and did.

Women were present too, yet Sakura was quite positive that most of them, except for those who walk free by the area holding deadly weapons, were preys (like she was) caught by their predators.

Sakura swallowed, helping her throat that had gone terribly dry with the scene before her.

Was she to be sold here? To those weird looking men?

"Keep your eyes on the ground and follow me." The man closely whispered as he took a step towards the busy crowd. Sakura did as she was told, not daring enough to know the consequences if she held her head high up.

She followed the steps of the man, looking over his soles for direction by the ground. Sakura felt uncomfortable suddenly, not knowing that the heads she passed through had a good look of her, suddenly being illuminated by her cherry blossom hair and white skin as she wore a unique kind of dress they were never familiar with.

The man stopped by the tracks, closely followed by contained words escaping from the lips his covered face.

"Where is he?"

"It's nice seeing you, Uchiha." A deep voice of what seems to be a middle aged man spoke back that sent shivers on my spine.

Uchiha?