Sakura was languid and hungry, and mainly tired of being hungry. The city of Konoha had experienced a major dearth due to the long drought period during spring. The drought ended luckily a week ago, with the beginning of June providing a heavy rainfall. Like all command economies, when demands rise and consumer goods availability are low, prices heavily augment. Unluckily, Sakura isn't made of cash and the prospect of earning a decent wage anytime soon is less than possible. All she knew was that her boss would be mad if she was late for her shift again. Looking at her digital watch, her eyebrows creased in anxiety while she picked up her speed, hardly noticing where she was going. In her ragtag raiment, she walked across the street into an ominous alleyway by accident. The lack of food dulled her senses and she silently swore. 'This is what I get for skipping out on food to save money.' Before she could turn back an effluvium hit her nose, and her body felt ethereal. She looked around her and everything seemed distorted. 'Wait is this …oh kami no,' she lugubriously exclaimed to herself as she started losing her vision. She heard a loud commotion behind her, but quickly forgot. As drowsiness overcame her, she swayed and her eyes became heavy. The last thing she remembered feeling was a soft touch of a hand on her shoulder, supporting her before she gave into the darkness.
Sakura opened her eyes, slowly blinking as her head throbbed slightly. As far as she could gather, this place was definitely not her crammed apartment or the hospital. Instead, she awoke to a spacious pitch black storage area. She managed to sketch out the basic layout of the place in her mind. Rays of sunlight peeked through the shades of a window, allowing her to get a better picture of the place she was held captive. Squinting, she roughly noted that stacks of boxes were messily dispersed about the place. 'Man, it's dark in here, I can barely see a thing' She also observed sundry items scattered around as well. Lifting her hand, she felt the ground beneath her shift. Strewn around her was a great heap of straw with one checkered pillow laid on top of it.
As she got up, she noticed there was something beside her. To her felicity, a tray of bread and noodles was laid out. Safety escaped her mind and another thought replaced it. Her goal shifted to permeating her stomach to what it was deprived of, food. In a matter of minutes, she was content after consuming a hearty meal of banal bread and soggy noodles. With the sustenance of the food, Sakura automatically felt rejuvenated. Sakura's happiness was short lived. Alarm bells started ringing a warning in her head; her mind comprehended the direness of the situation. 'I was abducted; I should be looking for a way out n…' An exigent cough warned her of another's presence halting her thoughts. Above her was a tall figure with glinting eyes. Sakura gulped, loud enough for the arcane figure to hear. She could hear a soft chuckle.
Onyx eyes settle quietly upon her eyes. A hand comes in gentle contact with her face. She tries to withdraw from him but he persists. He places another hand on the other side of her face and…. Sakura replayed many fantasies meeting her abductor, but couldn't settle on why anyone would go through the trouble to abduct her.
Suddenly fluorescent lights flash on within the building, temporarily blinding her. She slowly blinked repeatedly to get used to the luminous lights. Instead of her daydream onyx eyes, Sakura met amiable blue eyes.
"Ino." The convivial figure states as she offers Sakura help getting up. Sakura is puzzled for a moment before it registered to her that the person had just said her name. While gazing up at the girl, she quickly nodded her head to show she had heard. "What's your name?" the girl confidently asks. Sakura observes the girl looming above her for a moment. From the looks of it, this girl was about the same age as her, seventeen, maybe even eighteen. She possessed the same worn out look as Sakura, yet for the most part she was healthy. Her clothes on the other hand, seemed worn with age, gathering rips along the edge.
'Gosh this abductor is more perverse than I thought, I mean who would kidnap two indigent girls?' Before she could complete her assessment of the girl, she felt the girl was looking at her curiously. '… oh wait didn't she ask me a question?…what's her name again… in … in..'
"Ino? I-Is that your name?" Sakura dumbly asks.
"Hai, isn't that what I just said? And what is your name, forehead?" She solicits.
Unconsciously Sakura puts a hand to her forehead. 'Ouch. I see someone is unfamiliar with courtesy'
"Hey! The name's Sakura," Sakura responds curtly, her hand still lingering on her forehead, "W-wait shouldn't we try to get out before whoever kidnapped us comes back?" Sakura nervously added. Ino looked taken aback for a second before she cracked a smile. Ino's blond hair violently thrashed against her back as she broke out laughing. 'Correction snorts.' All Sakura could do was look dumbfounded as she witnessed Ino laugh like a maniac. 'Maybe the anxiety of the situation broke her… or maybe this girl is crazy. There goes my chance of escaping. Well that is if I ever even had a chance.'
"I don't understand what's so funny. We shouldn't be wasting our time in here; we have to find a way to get out!" Sakura fumed haughtily not accepting her fate.
"Try..the..front..door.." Ino said in between gasps, still laughing and snorting.
Cautiously, Sakura approached the door and glanced once more at Ino. The girl was practically rolling on the floor. 'Tsk, tsk, tsk, insanity. Ah well I'll just try for the heck of it.' Sakura placed her hand on the rusty bronze doorknob and turned it. 'And what do you know, it didn't-wait what?' As she turned and pulled the knob, the door opened effortlessly. She examined the ground and the area outside the door, until she gathered the courage to step out. As she stood there she became puzzled by the fact that she didn't initiate a series of traps, alarms weren't ringing, and no one sprung out from hiding. She then noticed Ino overcame her fit of laughter and was now walking towards Sakura. 'She finally came to her senses' Expecting Ino to follow her, Sakura walked further on.
"Sakura . . . I'm your kidnapper." Ino stated calmly, stopping Sakura midway.