Mercenary's Life

CHAPTER TWO: Bound for life

It was morning and I was out shopping for eggs. It had been more than two months since I met that man in the woods. I still kept his shirt and wore it sometimes. I made myself a pair of pants so in some way, I looked like a boy. My hair, which reached my shoulders were just a bit longer. I would soon have to cut them. My eyes still sparkled like the sun and all its glory.

Today was one of those days where I did where his shirt and my make shift pants. My hair was tied in a high ponytail and I had a pair of brown worn sandals on.

I walked about and picked up other things for dinner. It was just another of those pointless things I was forced to do. I was inspecting some of the apples when I over heard some older women gossiping about a beheading.

"Hehe, I heard he was very handsome!"

"Oh but he killed Shiro! That's such a sad thing."

"I heard they caught more than one. They're all really handsome. Oh if only I was single."

I rolled my eyes and thought, 'How pointless. They're just babbling nonsense.'

Although, somewhere within me, a spark of curiosity lit up; considerably handsome, killed a man? This all rang a bell.

There was more than one.

My brow furrowed and then I sighed. 'Now or never I guess.'

I headed towards the town square where all the beheadings and trials happened.

When I got there, there were a large number of women trying to catch glimpses of the criminals. I rolled my eyes again and muttered, "Love sick idiots and their fantasies."

I shoved and pushed my way through the large crowd till I made it to the front. When I got there, I nearly fainted at the sight of the so called criminals.

There stood on the platform was the same man who saved me two months ago. His features and attire looked very much the same since the last time I saw him; which consisted of a loose black tank top, a pair of long brown pants, and strange shoes I had never seen. However, there were cuts, scratches, and bruises all over his body. As if he had been in some sort of a scuffle.

There were others too. On his left was the feminine man I had ever seen. He had chocolate brown hair that fell across his back and was tied into a low loose ponytail. He had some kind of white attire and his eyes were the most beautiful pearl color I had ever seen. Through the thing fabric of his clothes, I could make out a very well toned and muscled body.

A man with blonde hair and a childish face stood behind the feminine man. His electric blue eyes shone with defiance and anger. His clothes consisted of a lot of orange. I didn't understand why, but in a way…it made him look like a fag.

The man to the right of Sasuke looked very much like him with the exception that his hair was longer and his eyes were red. He wore a black long sleeved shirt and black baggy pants.

Another man with black spiky hair and sun glasses stood behind him. To his left was a man with very bright red hair and teal eyes. On his forehead was a tattoo of some sort that read 'love.' Finally to the right of the man with sun glasses was a man with short black hair. His shirt was a bit short and exposes his stomach. His black pants hung loosely on his waist.

All of them were dangerously handsome and very intimidating.

I watched as a judge came out of the doors to my right. He walked up to the platform and stood behind a podium.

"Let the hearing commence." He said in his all powerful voice. I frowned. Why were they here anyways? Then a thought struck me; they were being convicted for the murder of that man who tried to rape me. That was totally unfair!

Sasuke's POV

The judge walked over us and started explaining the regulations of the trial. I just wanted to slit his throat and get out of here. Unfortunately there were guards surrounding us and plus, we had no weapons.

Naruto cursed me under his breath while he glared at the judge.

"Neh, Sasuke bastard, why are we being blamed for something we don't even know about?"

I frowned. That was right. I didn't tell them my encounter with that girl.

I wonder if she was here. This was her home. My eyes scanned the crowd, but I didn't find her anywhere.

The judge started talking again.

"Do you Uchiha Sasuke, deny the fact that you murdered one of our townsmen with no reason at all?"

I frowned and snorted. "I had a pretty good damn reason. He was trying to rape a girl." Many gasped and startled looks crossed the crowd.

Over looking first part of my sentence he continued. "Then without further ado, I pronounce you and your followers guilty and to be beheaded on the spot. Summon the executioner!"

My older brother, Itachi, cursed under his breath and looked at me.

I frowned and said, "Not my fault they're idiots."

The executioner came onto the platform and the guards forced me to kneel. This was it, I was going to die. Things were just getting good in life too. My brother and the rest of our little group were well known mercenaries. If only I had minded my own business and continued on my way.

He raised his axe and readied the strike. He swung his axe down and I closed my eyes. Millimeters before the axe cut my neck…

"STOP! I PLEAD FOR THEIR LIVES!"

A voice cut through all the roar of the crowd. It went eerily silent. The judge looked up and asked loudly, "Who pleads for the lives of these lowly men?"

The crowd began to split and a girl with black hair and golden eyes stood before myself and my fellow friends.

The judge looked at her and said, "Come closer girl. What is your name?"

I stared at her. Then realization hit me. This was the same girl I had saved two months ago.

'What the hell is she doing?' I thought bitterly. She had caused us enough trouble already.

Takiko's POV

Lord help me I didn't know what the hell I was doing. I walked up the platform trying hard not to look scared.

"Hikari…Hikari Takiko is my name." I managed to say without stuttering. I stepped onto the platform and stared at the judge.

He looked me in the eye and said, "Takiko, you do know that by pleading for their lives means that you will be forever bound to them?"

I nodded and said, "I know very well what it means to plead for their lives."

He nodded and asked, "How old are you?"

"Seventeen your honor."

"Do your parents know what you're doing?"

I paused. Did it matter? No not really.

"My parents don't need to know, nor will they care." I answered icily.

He stared at me for a few minute and then said loudly again, "Bring a priest and their weapons."

I must be going insane. I was about to be bound to seven men I barely knew! The world must be coming to an end.

The guards untied the men behind me and let Sasuke stand. He threw me a strange look.

The priest came out and said/did a whole bunch of mumbo jumbo before announcing that I was forever bound to all of the guys behind me who found out were named, Itachi, Gaara, Neji, Shino, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sai.

After that, the crowd eventually dispersed and the judge and guards left. It was about mid day when it was just I and the men behind me. A frown came to my face as a thought dawned upon me.

'I forgot to fucking buy the damned eggs.'

I released a breath I didn't know I was holding and said, "Meet me at the place where I first met you later today."

With that, I jumped off the platform and hurried off to buy food.

Later that day…

I was now bleeding and in pain. I received a very heavy beating. I sighed and threw some clothes into a bag along with some medical supplies I had saved up money to buy. I also threw in some books and other things I thought would be necessary. Quietly as I could, since it was night time and everyone was sleeping, I snuck down stairs and stole some money from my parents' secret stash and snuck out the door.

I tried my best to bandage myself before I left the house, but it did little good. The wound on my arm was bleeding badly due to a glass cup being thrown at me. A bruise was forming on my left cheek because my father punched me. My stomach already had multiple bruises and scars like my back did. Life was just bad for me. I made my way to the forest and stopped for a second. What was I doing?

I practically forced them to marry me and now I expected them to take me with them? How selfish could I get? I needed to think. I walked over to 'my' clearing and sat down. I stared up at the sky and smiled as the stars twinkled. My arm began to throb painfully. It would most likely get an infection, but it could have been worse.

I settled for lying in the grass and staring at the stars again. I felt like singing. I thought carefully and finally decided on an old song that I used to hear the doctor sing when I talked to him.

Angels fall from the sky my darling.

They sing and dance for you sweetie.

They will watch over the children as they're sleeping.

They will kiss your hand,

Hold your heart,

And play across the land.

The music that they sing is from heaven.

They will stay with me,

And have watched me since I was seven.

The angels fall from the sky

And when they can't go home

They cry.

That's when the earth will die my child.

When the angels cry,

The earth and its people will lie

Lie down and die.

I stopped singing and sat up. The song reminded me of an old story the women used to tell their children.

It was a story about an angel princess who took abandoned children to heaven with her where she took care of them. One day, a man saw her fly away with a child. Wanting to see her again, he left a doll out that looked like child. When the angel picked the doll up, the man lunged at the woman and managed to trap her on earth. For many years she lived with the man, and then one day, she wept for the first time and it was her last time because afterwards, she died of pain. Not the physical pain you feel from injuries, but the emotional pain she felt from being imprisoned on earth.

I looked at the stars again and then fell back down and closed my eyes.

I opened them again to see a shooting star fly by. I then wished out loud, "I wish I could find I place where I really belong. Somewhere where I can be happy and not worry about being abused or anything. I just ask for that simple wish."

After I made my wish, I closed my eyes and fell asleep on the soft ground completely oblivious to the seven pairs of eyes that watched me the entire time.