The three friends pushed open the door to see a bleak, dimly lighted room. A single, middle-aged woman stood behind the desk. She looked up as they entered.

"Hello ladies. Welcome to the Sasaki Slave House. We have the best slaves in China right here." She said. "I am Ami. How may I be of service to you?"

Tenten, Sakura and Hinata froze. A slave house?!

"Umm… Hi." Tenten replied. "I'm Tenten, this is Sakura, and this is Hinata. We are here on a trip from Japan and-"

"Ah of course, you wish to purchase some foreign slaves as souvenirs. Well, come right this way, and I'll show you our' selection." Before the girls had even the slightest chance to protest, they found themselves being steered through a door and down a hallway to a heavy Iron door with several padlocks on it.

Sakura and Hinata shot Tenten looks that clearly asked: 'Now what genius?'

Ami pulled a key from around her' neck and began to unlock the numerous padlocks. Tenten took this opportunity to lean over and whisper to her' friends.

"Just play along for now. After we've seen the so called "selection" we can ask for directions."

She barely had time to complete her' sentence for just as she finished speaking Ami swung open the door and motioned them inside.

The girls stepped through the door and, for a few moments, were unable to make out anything in the darkness. After a bit, their eyes adjusted enough for them to see their' surroundings. The sight that met their eyes shocked them. They stood in an enormous room. The walls were lined with stacks of cages, reaching to the ceiling. The cages were barely large enough to sit in. Inside each cage crouched a slave.

They were all male, and most of them were between the ages of thirteen and twenty-five. A few of the slaves glanced up at the girls' entrance, but the majority just sat, hunched over, staring miserably off into space.

Even in the dim lighting, the girls could plainly see the hopelessness that reflected in the young men's eyes.

Hinata let out a gasp and Ami smiled, apparently thinking that Hinata's shock was a result of awe. (Which, of course, it was not.)

"It is remarkable, is it not?" She asked.

The girls exchanged glances.

"Each of our slaves has been here since they were three or less. That way they have been raised learning the rules of being a slave and are not as rebellious as those who have lived most of their' lives free." Ami told them.

"It's so quiet in here." Sakura commented.

"Oh yes. They will never speak out of turn. From the moment they come here they are forbidden to speak under any circumstances. One word will result in severe punishment." Ami explained.

Tenten's eyes narrowed and she nodded. "I see."

"What age group did you have in mind?" Ami inquired.

"Age group?" Sakura repeated, obviously confused.

"For your' slaves." Ami clarified.

"Oh, umm…" Sakura glanced at the others.

Tenten came to her' rescue. "Sixteen or seventeen." She replied smoothly.

Ami nodded. "Follow me." She led the girls to the far end of the room and pointed to two sections. "This is where we keep the sixteen year olds, and that section over there is for the seventeen year olds."

Suddenly a guard called out to Ami.

"Oh, Please excuse me ladies, but I must see to this. I'll be back in a little bit. Please feel free to look around at our' merchandise." Ami told them. The girls nodded and she hurried off.

"Oh my gosh!" Sakura exclaimed. "This place is terrible!"

Tenten nodded. "I know. I've never been to a slave house before. I wonder if the ones back where we come from are as bad as this one."

Hinata shook her' head sadly as she looked around. "In my' opinion, all slave houses are bad."

Sakura and Tenten nodded in agreement.

Tenten noticed that some of the guards were regarding them from their posts. "Alright, let's just pretend we're interested and look them over so that we can get out of here!"

Sakura and Hinata nodded and began to walk along the rows of cages, pretending to inspect the boys inside.

(With Hinata)

Hinata was in the section that held the sixteen year olds. She walked from one cage to another, hating what she was seeing. How can people treat other human beings this way? She wondered.

One boy in particular caught her' eye. He had bright blue eyes, strange, whisker like marking on his' cheeks and, though dirty, his' blond hair would shine like the sun once it was washed. But the thing that caught Hinata's attention was the fact that, out of the hundreds of young men packed into this room, this boy, though broken, still seemed to have retained some life. Although he was obviously miserable, his eyes did not posses that glazed look of hopelessness that she saw in the eyes of most of the other boys.

Hinata walked over to the cage in which the boy sat. He shrank back as she approached, fear written over his features. She smiled gently at him and whispered in a soft voice, "Don't worry, I won't hurt you. My' name is Hinata. What is yours'?"

He looked up at her' but said nothing. (A/n: Remember, he's looking up at her' because the cage he's in is too short to allow him to stand so he has to sit.)

Hinata's cocked her' head to the side then gasped as realization struck her. "Oh, that's right, you don't talk do you? I'm sorry."

The boy's eyes widened but still he did not utter a word.

Hinata's advanced, Hyuga eyes suddenly spotted something that looked to her like blood. "Could you please turn around?" She asked.

The boy complied instantly, turning so that he faced away from her.

Hinata gasped. "Oh my… Your' back!"

The boy's back was literally covered with nasty looking gashes. Blood streamed from the raw wounds mixing with dirt.

Hinata covered her' mouth with her' hand. How could anyone do such a thing?! She thought furiously.

She looked at the boy. I can't just leave him here can I? Hinata bit her' lip. "Thank you, you can turn back around."

The boy did so and Hinata said, "I know you won't talk, but will you at least nod your' head yes or no if I ask you a question?" The boy hesitated for a moment, and then nodded. "Does this sort of thing…" she motioned to his bloody back, " …happen often?"

He nodded slowly. Hinata clenched her' fists. That does it! I'm getting him out of here today! She thought. Then she turned to go tell her' friends.

(With Sakura)

Sakura was at the other end of the section that held the sixteen-year-old slaves.

She was looking around, none to happily, at the many cages filled with boys, most of which appeared to be half dead.

Suddenly Sakura jumped in surprise as something wet landed on her' arm. Looking down, she was surprised and a little freaked out to see a drop of blood on her' arm. Before she had time to think, another drop fell from above, this time landing at her' feet where, she now noticed, a small puddle of blood had formed.

What on earth…? She thought to herself. Sakura looked up to see a pale hand dangling from a cell, three cages high. Blood streamed freely down the hand, dripping onto the floor below.

Sakura gasped. She called out to a guard. "Excuse me?"

"Yes miss?" The guard responded.

"Do you by any chance have a ladder or something by which I could reach that cell?" She pointed to the cell with the blood-covered hand.

The guard nodded and quickly fetched her' a ladder.

"Thank you." She said.

The guard nodded and returned to his post.

Sakura now turned and quickly ascended the ladder until she was level with the cage. She peered in to the darkness and what she saw both angered and frightened her.

A pale boy with spiky, black hair leaned against the side of the cage, apparently asleep. Blood ran down his' arms and legs from several angry slashes on his' back and torso.

Sakura gasped and his eyes fluttered open at the sound. Sakura stared at the boy before her. Deep, onyx eyes glared back at her. The boy didn't say anything. He didn't move or fidget. He just sat there, glaring at her.

"H-Hello." She stammered. She found his' glare to be a little unnerving. "I'm Sakura."

He didn't move.

"Are you okay?" She asked. What a stupid question Sakura! She berated herself. He's obviously not okay!

Still, he didn't even bat an eye.

Back in Japan, Sakura took lessons from a well-known healer and was well educated when it came to medical problems. On impulse she reached out to inspect the boy's wounds. He flinched and his' chains clinked as he threw up his hands over his head as if to shield himself from a blow.

Sakura's eyes narrowed and she withdrew her' hand. I've got to get this boy out of here! She thought. Those wounds look bad, and if he doesn't get medical attention, he could bleed to death! She turned, descended the ladder and hurried to find her' friends.

(With Tenten)

Tenten had drifted a little ways away from her' friends and had ended up in the section that held the seventeen-year-old slaves.

Tenten sighed as she took in her' surroundings. Every thing was so depressing. She hated seeing human beings being treated like dirt. It made her so mad!

What was that? She wondered as a sound broke the silence. There it was again, a sound like a low moan coming from somewhere in the far corner of the room.

Tenten made her' way to where the sound was originating from. What met her' eyes was a boy with long tresses of black hair, curled up in a cage, clutching his right arm in pain. His back was streaked with gashes and slices and littered with bruises.

Tenten rushed forward and touched the boy's left shoulder. (He was facing away from her and hadn't seen her yet.)

He started and turned lavender eyes on her. Upon seeing her standing there he tensed and moved as far away as was possible in the tiny cage, regarding her' cautiously the entire time.

Seeing this Tenten dropped her hand. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." She apologized.

He looked at her oddly but said nothing.

"How long have you been here?" She asked him.

He just sat there watching her, eyes filled with distrust.

"Is there something wrong with your' arm?" She asked kindly.

Silence…

"Here, let me see." She had not meant for it to sound like an order but apparently he took it as one because he stiffened but instantly held out his' arm for her to see.

She gently looked it over. "I think you may have a fractured bone." She told him. "How did this happen?"

He just looked at her.

Tenten frowned. "Did the guards do it?" She asked.

He did not reply but a look of anger flickered in his eyes and she took that as an affirmative.

Tenten stood for a moment, lost in thought. She turned abruptly to find Sakura and Hinata. I don't care what it takes; I'm not leaving here without buying that boy! She resolved.