Ino had paused to watch a group of young men who were hauling an exceptionally large boulder
She had stepped forward to see better when she lost her' footing. She fell forward and tumbled into one of the boys knocking him to the ground.
"Oh! I'm so, so sorry. Are you okay?" Ino asked the boy. He was tall and his' dark hair was pulled back into a high ponytail.
The boy looked at her' tiredly and nodded, but said nothing.
"I'm Ino. What is your' name?"
The boy mumbled something that Ino couldn't make out. "What? I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you."
"Shikamaru." The boy said, a little louder this time.
"Nice to meet you Shika-san!
Shikamaru cocked an eyebrow at her.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I tend to just give nicknames to everyone I meet. It's an old habit." Ino said. "Do you mind if I call you Shika?"
Shikamaru shook his head 'no'.
"Great." She flashed him a big smile.
"Hey!" A voice shouted. "Get back to you no good, worthless, heap of rags!"
Ino whirled to see a tall, heavy-set man holding a whip.
Shikamaru started and rushed to pick up the rope he had been pulling before Ino had knocked him down.
But the brute didn't let it go. He stomped up and, grabbing hold of Shikamaru's arm, swung the boy about to face him. "What do ya think yer doin?!" The man bellowed. "Do ya think that this is just some stupid tea party?"
Shikamaru shook his' head.
"Then what are ya doin talkin to some dame instead of doin yer' work?" The man shook him hard. "I think ya need a little discipline to give ya a sense of responsibility!"
Shikamaru tensed and braced him' self as the man raised his' whip.
Suddenly a high-pitched voice pierced the air and caused the man to pause. He turned to find the 'dame' standing there, her' hands on her' hips, her' face livid with rage. "LEAVE HIM ALONE!!" she shouted.
The man looked at her' in surprise. "Now why would I do a thing like that?" He asked.
"It was my' fault that he dropped the line." Ino told him. "I stumbled and ran into him, knocking him over."
The man shrugged. "So?"
"So you shouldn't be punishing him for that." Ino persisted.
"We'll I can't punish you and someone has to be punished, so he gets the whipping." The man said.
Ino looked as though she wanted to murder him for that statement. "Why you…you…you big, fat, no good, brainless, dim witted, thick skulled, arrogant, pompous, moron!" She exclaimed. "If anyone should get a whipping it's you!"
Both the slave driver and Shikamaru stared at her in complete shock. The slave driver because he couldn't believe that she would insult him like that. And Shikamaru because he couldn't believe that anyone- but especially someone as rich as her would defend him.
"What is all this raucous about?"
Ino whirled to see a tall black haired man with a thick mustache standing behind her.
Jiro looked down at Ino. Another girl? And one of high rank no doubt. I wonder if she is with those other girls who bought the two slave boys.
"Konichi wa, I am Hidaka Jiro." He said. "Who might you be, miss?"
Ino squared her' shoulders and said, "I am Hime, Nakamura Yamanaka Ino, The daughter of Lord Nakamura Kaemon, ruler of the neighboring village. I am here with him to visit the magistrate of your' fine village."
Jiro raised an eyebrow. "How many daughters does Lord Nakamura Sama have?"
"Five." Ino replied.
Jiro nodded. "I see. So what can I do for you, Ino Hime?"
Ino pointed to the slave driver who still held Shikamaru by the arm. "I stumbled and crashed into Shikamaru-san, causing him to fall and let go of his' line." She gestured to the heavy rope that Shikamaru held in one hand and Jiro nodded for her to continue. "Well this man is trying to whip Shikamaru because he let go of the rope and it was all my' fault. And when I told him that, he said that someone had to get beaten, and since he couldn't beat me on account of my' being a princess, that Shikamaru would just have to take the beating instead." Ino huffed.
Jiro nodded to the slave driver. "Release the boy Renzo."
Renzo scowled but let go of Shikamaru's arm, and stalked of.
"My' apologies Hime." Jiro said. "I will be sure to keep an eye on Renzo in the future."
Ino cocked her' head in surprise. "You mean to say that you are not going to fire him?" She asked in disbelief.
Jiro was surprised at her' question. "Uh…well…no."
"But he was being abusive!" Ino protested.
"Well… yes, and I'm sorry about that, but…these things happen and-"
"These things happen?" Ino repeated. "How often?"
Jiro was confused. "Excuse me?"
"How often are the people here abused?" Ino asked.
"Well…uuuuh…" Jiro wasn't really sure how to answer that. He was aware of the treatment of the slaves, and he was not proud of it. But he had been told many times that strict and abusive treatment was the only way to keep slaves in line, and it was his' boss's orders.
Ino nodded. "I see…" She said thoughtfully. She looked him in the eye. "Would you be willing to sell Shikamaru-san to me?"
Jiro was surprised. Again? He thought. "Before you by anyone, I think you should know that your' sisters, Sakura Hime and Hinata Hime, each bought a slave from me not a half hour ago." He informed her.
Ino smirked. "Well, good for them!" She said. "Now back to Shikamaru; how much do you want for him?"
"214040 yen was the price I quoted your' sisters." Jiro told her.
Ino nodded and, to Shikamaru's shock, (And Jiro's amusement) she pulled the exact amount from her' purse and handed it to Jiro.
She nodded to Shikamaru saying, "Come on Shika-kun. We have to hurry if we are going to be able to return to the magistrate's home before supper."
Shikamaru was astonished and bewildered by what had just taken place, but he allowed Ino to grab his' hand and lead him out of the mining sight.
Jiro shook his' head and turned to one of the guards saying. "This has been some day. I'm going to take the rest of the day off. Tell my' assistant that I won't be back until morning."
The guard nodded and Jiro made his' way out of the mining sight.
Tenten and Azami entered the main building and wandered through several, dark, twisting halls for nearly an hour before loud voices attracted their' attention and drew them to the door of a room.
They peaked inside and saw several boys, ten to be exact, laughing and joking crudely with one another. Their' attention was on the door at the opposite end of the room from where the girls stood.
Suddenly the door was thrown open and two men entered dragging two boys inside. One of the boy's had long, dark hair and whitish eyes that reminded the girls of Hinata's. The other had unruly red hair, and slate blue eyes. Both boys had their' arms tied behind their' backs.
The men flung the two new boys down at the feet of the original ten then left through the door they had entered they had entered by.
A tall boy with sandy, brown hair, who appeared to be the leader of the ten, stepped forward and grabbed hold of the dark haired boy pulling, him up by the hair.
He smiled cruelly and said something that the girls could not make out. The other nine boys chuckled as they watched. Suddenly, the boy pulled back his' fist and punched the dark haired boy in the stomach. The dark haired boy dropped to the ground and, to the girls' horror, half of the boys began to kick the dark haired boy, as he lay, helpless, on the ground.
The other half proceeded to attack the red headed boy.
Tenten and Azami looked at one another and an unspoken agreement passed between them.
Neji gasped for air as yet another boy kicked him in the chest. Crack! Neji felt one of his' ribs break.
Crack! Crack!
Two more kicks, two more broken ribs!
Neji choked as blood flowed into his' mouth. He spat the warm, sticky, metallic tasting liquid out onto the stone floor.
Another kick caught him in the side and Neji glimpsed yet another coming towards his head… But it never reached it's target for suddenly, the offending boy found him' self, flying threw the air. The boy crashed into the opposite wall with a loud bang!
Neji turned his' head as much as the pain in his' back allowed him to and caught sight of a girl standing in between him' self, and his' attackers. The girl had chocolate brown hair pulled up into twin buns. She brandished two kunai in her' hands and glared at the boys, daring them to come towards her.
Gaara fell to the floor as a fist collided with the side of his' head. He hit the ground hard, knocking the breath out of his' lungs. A boy knelt on his' chest and began delivering punch after bunch to Gaara's face while several others boys held his' legs down.
Suddenly, The boy on top of Gaara went flying as a fist crashed into the side of his' head.
Gaara looked up to see a girl standing with her' back to him in what looked to him like some sort of a fighting stance. Her' golden hair cascaded freely down her' back and her' she had a dagger strapped to her' belt.
Tenten and Azami glared at the boys, challenging them to move.
The boy who had originally been the one to throw the first punch crossed his' arms over his' chest and spoke in a threatening voice. "Well, well, what have we here? If you ladies know what's good for you you'll stand aside now!"
A boy to the right spoke up. "Yeah! We've all had at least a year of Karate training. Monotaro here has had two years!" He gestured to the first boy.
Tenten and Azami exchanged knowing looks. They had both had the best training from the most revered masters since the day they were able to walk!
Tenten smirked at the boys and Azami declared, "Bring it on!"
There was a whirlwind of arms and legs as the boys charged. Exactly thirty-four seconds later the boys all lay on the ground. Tenten held a kunai to the sandy haired boy's throat and Azami held a dagger to the second boys' throat.
"Pl-ea-se…" The first boy rasped. "Ha-ve m-er-cy."
"Apologize for beating those boys up!" Tenten ordered.
"S-or-ry!" He gasped.
"You apologize too." Azami commanded.
"Sor-ry!" The second boy gasped.
Tenten and Azami released them. "You have exactly seven and a half seconds to get out of my' sight before I slit every one of your' throats." Tenten threatened raising her' kunai.
At the sight of it, the boys howled in fear and stampeded out the door.
Tenten and Azami turned to the two boys who lay on the ground and quickly cut the ropes that bound their' arms.
Gaara shakily got to his' feet. He had several cuts and bruises and a bad ankle, but no serious injuries.
Neji on the other hand clutched his' side in pain when he tried to stand up. He was white as a sheet and blood still streamed from his' mouth, though the flow had lessened somewhat.
Tenten called for help and a guard appeared. The two boys were taken back to their' cell.
When Tenten insisted that both boys, Neji especially, be examined by a physician, the guard told her that there was none.
"What do you mean, there isn't any doctor?" Azami asked. "Who tends to the slaves when there is a cave in or when they get sick?"
The guard shifted uncomfortably. "Uh…well…no one." He answered.
"No one?! But then how do they get better?" Tenten questioned.
"Well…sometimes they don't." The man replied quietly.
"WHAT??" The girls exclaimed. "Are you saying that they are just left to die?!"
The guard nodded.
Tenten and Azami exchanged alarmed glances. Each knew what was going threw the other's mind.
"Take us to the person in charge." Azami ordered.
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Well, I hope you liked it.
Remember, reveiws are greatly appreciated. (No flames please.)
Yaruhi