"How much for the tart?"
The crone looked me up and down, taking in the dirty and torn cloak, and then overall shabby appearance. The crone's maw slowly opened, showing off the few teeth remaining within. "Too much for you. Scat!"
I did not budge, my feet stayed firm in their position in front of the stand. Light laughter and the sound of passersby conversing in the streets filled the space behind me as the people moved about, filling the approaching dusk with a kind of happiness that didn't seep its way into my own bones no matter how badly I wished for it.
"I have money." I patted my hip underneath the worn cloak, letting the greedy crone hear the jingle of coins. "How much?"
She still eyed me in disbelief. "20 pieces."
That...was not what I was expecting. My stomach growled as my eyes raked over the sweets on the cart. Tarts, danishes, cookies, cakes. I hadn't had much to eat lately, let alone anything flavorful. After scrounging around in the forest for scraps of food, I had hoped the first sight of civilization would have brought me more luck, provided me with reasonable accommodations.
"10 pieces," I bargained with the last bit of currency to my name, willing to gave it all away for the chocolate covered fried dough just two feet in front of me.
"Get! Shoo!" The crone did not take kindly to the offer and waved her hand at me, causing me to stumble backwards until I hit the dust-covered ground. "You're blocking my other customers."
My head became dizzy with the sudden magic the crone used when she waved her hand. Magic was a pretty commonality, though I had yet to have someone use it against me in such a barbaric manner. My stomach protested, and I would have been sick had there been anything in my belly in the first place.
I glared at the bitter crone, getting back up on shaky legs as I did so. Securing the hood fully over my head once more, I hid my long pink hair and pointed ears from the spectators. Even though I was sure that no one would recognize me like this, I still didn't want to take that chance.
The lady raised her hand threateningly and stared at me in silent threat, so I begrudgingly hauled myself away from the sweets stand.
I walked and walked through town, through the throngs of people, until finding a place that gave me a bowl of vegetable soup and some fresh water for eight pieces. Only two pieces remained now, so I would quickly need to find some money.
On the wall across from my dimly lit corner were scraps of paper. They were haphazardly strewn up on a board, people glancing at them, running their fingers along text and tapping on the faces of people adorned on the them.
I brought the wooden bowl up to my face, and just tipped it against my lips when a nearby pair started conversing.
"Wouldn't have to work a day in my life if I caught him," one of them said.
"Don't kid yourself, no one's ever been able to catch him. That's why his face's been on that wall for so long. Ain't nobody gonna get him," said the other.
Interesting. I wanted to get him...Whoever this him was.
I finished the bowl off and licked the remaining liquid from my lips. Sauntering over to the wall, I tried not to look so eager as I scoured the many faces on the wanted posters.
30 pieces.
70 pieces.
50, 120, 25, 170, 210, 135...
Where was he, this man with the extremely high bounty? I wasn't seeing any outrageous amounts for anyone, some high numbers, yes, but none that would let people not work for the rest of their lives.
A hooded figure stood a bit to the left and pointed to an individual paper with a finger, giving it a double tap while letting out a low whistle. I craned my neck to see that the reward was...
"Flying feathers!" came out of my mouth before I could think about it. 150 million pieces?! I walked closer to it and the person.
Tearing the picture off the wall, I stared closely at the wanted individual. The rough sketch of the man showed him to look somewhere in his mid-twenties, but with his pointy ears he was an obvious fae, so who knew how old he really was. I held the paper in one hand and ran the other hand over his picture, his eyes seeming to bore into my own through just a simple sketch. "What did he do?"
The hooded figure came nearer, and just beneath the hood lay a small mouth, lips trembling as they stretched out into a slow snarl.
"He destroyed Shinjuku." The voice was definitely female, as it was soft and yet meaningful.
I looked down at the picture once more. Dark hair lay upon his head and looked to be pulled back at the nape of his neck, looking as if wind had just swept through it. His eyes looked menacing and bored all at once. At the base of his neck is where the sketch faded out, the artist not deeming it worthy to show the rest of him.
"Shinjuku?" I repeated. "The northernmost point of the Fall Court?" My mind went through the land, picking its way to the spot as to where I was picturing. "I didn't know any ill will had befallen it."
The mysterious female tilted her head up so she could look me straight in the eyes. Her blue eyes pierced me clean through, effectively making my breath hitch.
"He did it a few days ago," she said simply.
"But," I started, "those men over there said he's been on the wall for a while now."
She sighed and turned her attention back to the paper clutched in my grip. "That's just one of the things he's done. There are countless others, the price on his head keeps ticking up."
A slight tremble snaked its way through my body, hands tightening their hold on the paper instinctively. The paper crinkled in protest, but I kept my grip firm. "He destroyed a whole town? And more?"
She nodded. "Help me get him."
My head shot up so quickly the hood almost fell back. "Are you crazy? There's no way we could stop someone like that!" I waved the paper in front of the mysterious stranger's face. "It would take an army!"
"If you want the money, you should come with me," she stated so easily, silkily, her eyes glinting with some unknown emotion. "Princess Sakura."
At the sound of my formal title, my breath stilled, eyes refusing to blink. Glancing around to make sure no one else heard, I stepped a foot closer to the girl and spoke in a lowered voice. "Let's talk about this somewhere else."
She gave me a knowing look and snatched the paper from me and fisted it into a ball. Even though the two of us were roughly the same height, I momentarily felt dwarfed by this mystery female's presence. How in the world did she know my true identity? All it would take is one word from her, and I would be caught. All my running around in the woods would have been for nothing.
I followed her out of the small tavern, and walked through the winding streets. As the sunlight faded, the streets became emptier, people staying home to have dinner with their families. The walk allowed my breathing to calm down somewhat, mind still racing with questions.
I wasn't going to take the job, I just wanted some answers at the end of this walk.
It wasn't much longer before we stopped in front of a rundown looking building. The stranger swung the door open and glided her way through. I followed closely behind, keeping my guard up and a hand on the hilt of my sword just to be safe.
The one-room structure was cramped, just large enough for a living area, bed, table, and a fireplace. It looked to have not truly been lived in for a while, someone merely staying for a short time as there were bags set in corners and weapons laid out on the table. There was no other sort of belongings set about. The logs in the fireplace were half charred and sitting in a small bed of ashes.
"Who's that?"
I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sudden voice to the right. Sitting in a corner chair sat a very angry looking human with messy brown hair as if he ran his hands through it constantly.
"Who are you?" I asked, shifting my weight into a defensive position, eyes darting to the dangerous looking knife he was brandishing.
He stood up and dug the blade into the table, staring at me all the while. "You first, Pinky."
"Pinky?" I asked incredulously.
"Kiba," the female berated softly. "We talked about this, I thought you were going to be nice."
He paced around the table and stopped just a few feet in front of me, leveling me with a look of pure malice. "Sorry if I'm suspicious of her, but you were suppose to nab someone capable of taking down Itachi Uchiha."
"Uchiha?" I reached for the girl's hand to try and get the paper back, but she was quick and held it just out of reach. "You want to take down the Dark Prince? That's who that was?"
"I didn't want to scare you off with that bit of information right away," she said, pulling down her hood to reveal the tell-tale pointed ears of a fae. Her hair was long, dark purplish in color, and her eyes were milky. "I brought you here to discuss how we'll go about it."
She pulled out a chair at the table and plopped down, her eyes pointing to the chair nearby for me to take. I made no move, would do no such thing.
"Just knowing who he is makes it even more impossible now." I began pacing in a small circle. "And why didn't that paper have his name on it? I thought it said...Well, I don't remember, but I thought it said something different!"
She scoffed. "No one would go after him if his real name had been on it."
"And for good reason!" Conjuring up the image from my memory caused shivers to overtake me. I pulled at a lock of hair nervously and bit my bottom lip. "He...he's a monster. A truly horrific being."
Kiba spoke up this time. "That's why he's got to be stopped. That was my town he burned to the ground. My mom was..." His voice trailed off and a look of deep remorse spread over his gaze. "And my sister..." He wasn't able to speak on what had happened to the two women as his mouth opened and shut a few more times, but no words made their way into the space. His shocked expression at his own inability to convey his thoughts was jarring.
"I understand," I began. "He's done horrible things to my people as well, but he's over a thousand years old, the commander in Kaguya's army, the entire Summer Court is at his beck and call...And what? We have the three of us?"
It had been a while since a few of those words rolled off my tongue. Summer's been a constant worry for me and my Spring Court, and simply speaking about Kaguya made my mouth dry up like a wasteland. "There's nothing we can do." I braced myself against the table as a sense of utter helplessness overtook me, fingernails clawing deep into the wooden surface.
"Aren't you a fucking great pep-talker. Why'd you bring this one, Hinata?" Kiba demanded.
I couldn't bring myself to look up at either of them as tears formed at the corners of my eyes. Before anyone could speak, the tears ran down my cheeks and hit the table. I yanked my hands from the wooden surface so fast and pushed back my hood.
"She thought I could do something!" I screamed, throat raw from the pressure. "Princess Sakura come to save the day!"
The color drained from Kiba's face so instantly as his eyes nervously roamed my features, really taking all of me in now that I wasn't hiding under a hood.
"Yes, you must!" Hinata ordered. "You're the only one who can! You have the power to-"
"Seal away darkness," I finished for her, gaze glaring all the while. "My pendant was stolen and with it my powers to do such a thing!" My head was pounding from yelling, but there was no way I could be rational when it came to all of this.
"What...do you mean?" For the first time since running into her, I watched as a doubtful shadow crept over Hinata's expression. The cool confidence at last making way for unshaken resolve.
I turned my back to them, a brave decision as I still didn't really know these people, but I didn't care in that moment. Rational thinking went out the window. "About a week ago, I woke up and my pendant was gone." My hand instinctively went just below the hollow of my throat where the jewel should have been. "I have been looking for it ever since."
Silence befell the room, the thrumming of my own heart pounded loudly in my ears. Pink hair clung to the sweat on the back of my neck, and my fingers twitched out of habit while waiting for someone else to speak, for someone else to fill the stunted silence.
"We have to get it back," Hinata said and gripped her hands together so tightly that her knuckles turned white. There was a ring around her finger that pushed back against the pressure from the hold. I couldn't help but admire the interesting piece of jewelry. The rim was of silver with a copper braid running the length of it in the middle. It must hold some importance to her, but I had no idea what. Perhaps it had some strong magic within it, some ancient spell to use against her enemies.
"That's what I've been trying to do," I snapped. "But there were no clues at home, so I have been wandering around trying to find anything."
"How come you're so dirty?" Kiba inquired.
"Excuse me?" I barked. "That serves no relevance whatsoever."
He grabbed the dagger from where he'd previously impaled it into the table and sheathed it into a hilt at his hip. "I'm just saying, where's all your money for being a princess? Being Kizashi Haruno's daughter, you should be able to be of some use to us so we can purchase better armor and weapons."
I rocked from my toes to the backs of my heels. "I have two pieces if that'll help you any. And Father doesn't know where I am. Well, I left him a note that said I would be back..."
"Are you joking? You're joking, right?" Kiba deadpanned and sat eerily still, his lips in a fine line. "You just up and left? No one stopped you?"
I shook my head. "I've gotten pretty good at maneuvering around guard duty," I said with a hint of confidence.
"If they find you with us," Kiba explained, "they'll imprison us, or even kill us." He then looked to Hinata who had been sitting quietly for a while now. "We have to go, leave her behind."
Hinata shook her head. "She's the only way."
"We can find another fucking way, Hinata!" He walked over to the bed and bent down to the floor. From underneath he pulled out a knapsack and tossed it at her, which she caught easily. He pulled out another which he slung across his back. "We're leaving."
"She's coming with."
"Like hell she is!"
I watched the two carefully. I had no ties in going with them, but it would be nice to have some travelling companions. It's been awfully nerve-wracking traversing the forests without another set of eyes and ears. I had grown tired of not getting any sleep because of the small noises in the darkness that frightened me.
"If you help me find my pendant, I'll come with you," I offered. These people seemed well traveled, they'd probably know of some direction to start in when it came to finding lost items. Before this month, I had little to no experience in the outside world apart from my walks in the gardens back home in Konoha Palace. And that didn't count at all no matter which way I looked at it.
"Deal," Hinata agreed and shoved her hand in my direction, which I took a few beats later. Kiba rushed over and broke the point of contact.
"No," he simply said and started to drag Hinata out the door without looking back to see what I would do.
I paid his attitude no attention while jogging after them to catch up. Putting my hood back into place over my head, I stayed just a few paces behind them.
Kiba looked back and glared. "Go away."
"I'm traveling with Hinata, so if you'd like to come along with us, it'd be wonderful to have you as company," I stated while keeping pace with them.
Hinata looked back at me and gave a quick chuckle at the joke. "I like you."
I smiled at her, and showed my still beaming expression to Kiba who was staring daggers right back.
I sighed and said, "I won't cause trouble, and I promise you that you won't be imprisoned or killed if they find us. When we get my pendant back, I really could help with Itachi." Not to mention Kaguya, although she would most likely prove to be more of a challenge.
"I don't get it," Kiba sneered, keeping his voice down as we passed out of the village gates and kept pace on a dirt path that wound its way through a nearby forest. "If you had this all-powerful pendant before, why haven't you used it already? Were you just waiting for more people to die before coming to our rescue? Looking to make it more dramatic?"
My feet stopped after hearing that. I had the mind to turn around and abandon them there, but the desperate look in Hinata's eyes kept me from leaving.
Hinata dug her elbow into his stomach and stomped on his foot, leaving him yowling in pain and rolling into a ball on the ground. I turned my attention from him to Hinata as she approached. She put her arm on my shoulder, and looked me dead in the eyes.
"I know there must be a reason why the pendant wasn't used before, but when I heard whispers of such a power dwelling deep in the Spring Court, I didn't sleep for days as I looked into the matter. All I could find was that a power ran in your bloodline unlike any other in the lands. A power to repel darkness. But each person has channeled it differently from what I read. Yours, for some reason, is done with a pendant."
I stared at her in utter shock, lower lip slightly trembling, and was unable to speak. Instead, I placed my hand over the one Hinata had on my shoulder, closing my eyes. "Thank you for understanding."
"You're welcome," she said simply. "Now, we make for the Velurian Crossing."