Heart Shaped Box
Chapter One: Serve The Servants
Beep…beep…beep….
"ARGH!"
It was morning. Ah, shit, it was morning. NO! Where the fucking hell was the snooze button? She needed to sleep in, it had been a restless night and….
Oh God.
Twenty-year-old Sakura Haruno sat up and began to tremble. It was the day. THE day. The day she was to be sold off, made a whore. The day she would have to sacrifice her dignity for the good of her family….
Well, what was left of it. Sakura's parent's had died five years ago, leaving her with nothing but debt and a little sister, Aira. She had struggled to pay back the debts for years, finally working herself and her sister out of debt when Aira had come down with a horrible disease that left her crippled, weak, and mute. Aira required constant attention and it cost a fortune for her medicine and healthcare. Sakura couldn't work watching her sister all day, and had had to give up her apprenticeship with Lady Hokage three part-time jobs a day. But it still was not enough.
She had been ready to give up all hope when the Great Warlord, Ishi Tojo, had visited Konoha three months ago and set eyes upon the beautiful young girl. He started paying her all sorts of attention, which she rejected, until he learned about her sister. He offered her the best medical care and a trust fund for her sister if she would become one of his concubines. She cringed at the thought of serving this disgusting, sweaty, squinty-eyed man, but accepted. She had given up hope for love years ago and needed to take care of her sister. There was no other way.
Today was the day she would set out for the Lord's estate, leaving her home, her friends, her sister, and any hopes for happiness behind. Today was the day her soul would officially be taken from her, and her body made into puppet for some disgusting old man. Today she would die.
Sasuke Uchiha brushed his hair back away from his brow. He was, as usual, frustrated. Another concubine would be arriving, another nameless girl he would have to look after. He truly felt sorry for them. Pretty girls manipulated into becoming Lord Tojo's 'mistresses,' held as slaves, wallowing in their loss of hope and self-respect. Sasuke hated working for the man as keeper of affairs, but was bound to him by service as the new leader of the Uchiha Clan. Tradition dictated that the young leader would serve the present Lord Tojo for five years, and when the term was up, the new leader would take payment in some legal way. Sasuke had only found out about this after killing his brother, when it was too late to back out. But his term would be over soon, for this was his final year.
In the meantime, there was the matter of the new concubine arriving today. Already there was a room prepared for her. But he was supposed to escort her that night to her first banquet, introduce her into the harem and then seal the contract. The last part was the part he hated most, locking some poor girl in an eternal prison.
Sasuke had grown more sensitive since his brother's death, and did his best to care for the poor women, but he still had a goal to restore his clan. He just hoped he had the final key to it back where he had left it.