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The air was thick and icy, and the sun was barely passing the horizon.
It was dusk.
And the kidnappers were out lose.
With the child in hand they had attended a black market auction. The illegal event had taken place secretly on the outskirts of the Andou kingdom - underground. The thieves got there without any trouble and stood at the door of the meeting place.
From the outside it just looked like a regular abandoned warehouse, which was common it the area they were at - a deserted town. There were little to no people, including the kidnappers, and the only people to be seen were homeless or a few other outlaws sleeping in empty buildings.
Through the eerie silence the loud knocking was heard. Bang! Bang! The eye-level slot was opened and two deep black orbs peered through.
"State your reason." A deep, husky voice demanded. The kidnapper, who was not holding the babe cleared his throat and straightened up.
"My name is Dorobou and my companion is Koroshiya. We wish to sell and make good fortunate." Dorobou stated.
The pair of eyes scanning the two travelers, and seeing them as no threat, the door was opened. A tall, built man stood in the doorway. A young man, maybe in his late 20's. His clothes were torn but in no way did he look like a homeless with rags, he was an obvious criminal. His face was concealed with a black mask, only revealing his eyes.
"You may enter, but do not cause trouble." He warned. The man stepped aside and pointed at an almost invisible doorway in the hardwood floor.
"Go through there and you'll find it." indicating the auction was taking place through the door.
The two swiftly passed the brute and opened the door and entered. the kidnappers followed the stairwell until they came to a retro looking wooden door. They swung the door open.
The interior would have been spacious, if it wasn't filled to the brim with people. In the crowd there seemed to be every ethnicity possible. I just there's no specific race for evil. The ceiling was held up and wooden long beams crisscrossed overhead. In the auditorium there was a 5 foot high stage that stood in front of the herd of people, that the customers intently watched. Five small windows sat at the highest points of the walls, letting in gentle rays of the sunlight. Though they were nothing compared to the stage lights, that light up the stage.
A tall, slender man stood in the spotlight. His short blonde locks glistened in the light and his emerald eyes were almost impossible to miss, especially since the black mask he wore made the color pop out more. He fixed his tuxedo and white gloves as if they need to be, which they didn't. He cleared his throat before speaking.
"Welcome, ladies and gentleman to this special auction!" His voice echoed off the walls of the auditorium. The voice resemble one of a serpent - a cunning and almost unpredictable creature. Though he did not have the annoying hissing, you would know it could never be trusted and was almost like a warning to the people: Beware, before I eat you.
He continued, "To all our eager patrons, we hope this auction will successfully fill your needs. I would also like to say a special thanks to the creators and makers of this auction for making it possible for your own convenience." He gave a small bow facing the crowd.
"Now this that said, shall we start?" He looked to the side of the stage where an immense single file line stood. As if on cue the first person in line ran up to the blonde man passed him a parcel. It seemed that the person had said some words to the auctioneer before stepping back into the shadows.
The blond examined the small black box in his hands. Recognizing it he let out a contented "Ah ... Ladies and gentlemen, what we have here-" his white-gloved hands cracked open the box, revealing a huge, 3 inch gem. " is a rare item. All the way from the southern lands across the seas, this diamond was transported." The stone in his hand gleamed. He began to pace around the stage, showing off the diamond.
"You may ask, why would this be here? It is perfectly legit to sell jewelry. Well this piece of stone is no ordinary diamond, this diamond holds the power of magic and Alice." He announced. "And once in the owner's hands it will uncover the truth to its master and reveal the secrets. The master will become invincible! With Alices and magic by your side not even the legendary Nullifying and Stealing Alices will be able to control your Alice when you have it in hand!"
Finishing his speech he looked around the room at the patrons. Some were totally consumed by his words on power and invincibility, but others were suspicious about whether he told the truth or lies. He abruptly stopped in the middle of the stage.
"I see some of our customers aren't as satisfied as others, and seem to doubt me." He sighed. "Well, I guess you won't believe until you see it with your eyes. So why not use it, just once, to give you an essence of what this can do."
He plucked the diamond out of its box and threw the bow somewhere in the dark. Placing both hands on the diamond before him, he closed his eyes, as if he was sending all the energy into the gem. The stone began to turn colors - from a white to a navy blue to grass-green and finally an intense crimson red. The crowd filled with whispers and small chattering, most likely comments about the diamond.
The stone began to radiate an aura that was the same color as the gem - crimson red - and the aura started to envelop the man's body, starting from his arms, chest, head and all the way down. The aura fully covering his body, he opened his eyes. His eyes that were once a beautiful green were now bloody red.
A unanimous gasp passed through the crowd. The man smirked. His body began to change shape and appearance. Dark scales began to replace his skin and his face and mouth grew wider. Still looking at the crowd he brought out his forked tongue and hissed at them tauntingly. His body began to take shape - his arms folded in and his legs joined together.
The morphing continued until there on the stage sat a fifty foot large - not long, but large as in height, King Cobra coiling the gem within its body.
The monster let out a loud hiss that ran chills up and down the backs of the audience.
"You sssseee my dear audienccccceee" He hissed, bragging out the "s" sound in the words. " Thissss isss barely sssskimming the possibilitiessssss you can do with the control of the diamond."
Suddenly the temperature dropped and everybody's breaths became visible. The snake cackled. Frost began to form rapidly on the stage and icicles on the ceiling. Even the gem changed into a blinding white and ice crystals fell from it the snake's body. The patrons were intimidated by this power and coward in the darkness.
The monster saw this, "Right now I feast on the power of the gem. I am invincible! There is nothing impossible for me, watch!" His hissing voice commanded.
The monster started to inhale. And in one continuous breath he blew black fire. Black fire is the most hottest fire a person may ever contain and now the snake breaths it.
The temperature in the room rose and now it felt more like a hot summer day than an extreme blizzard. But with the sudden change of temperature, the ice was still there, hanging from the ceiling and covering the stage. It was cool to the touch - no, freezing. The audience was astounded. Controlling both fire and ice at the same time and not having them contradict themselves, it was impossible in that world - not even mentioning him doing it while in a form of a snake.
The crowd hollered with excitement. Now all of them were wanting the gem and were ready to buy it with everything they had. The monster reptile smirked.
"I see you're ready now." As he talked he began to shrink and take shape of a human once again. "Everybody now knows the power of the jewel, so where will the bidding start?" His legs and arms changed to normal limbs. The dark scales all over his body began to disappear.
"The thousands? The millions?" The red aura that once enveloped him slowly returned to the gem, and the original color of his eyes returned. "The billions?" He smirked. The jewel changed colors changed again - from a crimson red to a grass-green to a navy blue and finally a simple white.
A string of princes and deeds were shouted as everyone raised their numbers. The blonde man's smirk grew, "and now the auction truly begins." he said under his breath. The man held up the diamond proudly over his head, showcasing it to the patrons. The crowd roared. As the auction went on several bidding wars began, but of course only one could be the jewel's owner. And that would be the richest person in the room that was bidding.
With the final bid the blonde man yelled "Going once! ... Going twice!" He looked around the room. "Sold!" He turned to face the buyer. "Meet us after the backstage to make your payment." And with that piece sold off another person from the line came up and handed another parcel.
The cycle went back on into action and kept going till the two kidnappers were on stage with Sakuno. The thieves got in line when the auctioneer was doing his performance. The line was immense so of course they cut in somewhere near the start of the line. No one notice them, all their attention was on the jewel and its power to transform a man.
The two walked on stage and gave the babe to the blonde man. The man cradled Sakuno in his arms, he looked upon her with pity, as if he knew her life was going to be filled with many hardships and trials. He examined her features before showing her to the crowd - red hair, big round chocolate-brown eyes, and a cute hue of pink across her cheeks.
"How old is she?" He asked.
"Newborn, sir, one day, stolen yesterday" Kuroshiya replied speaking in parts, before stepping back into the shadows.
"Ah ... " He looked back at the crowd, "Baby female slave. One day. And since her hair is rare red, starting price at ... 600 scons."
The audience roared with excitement. Several number signs were held up and a bidding war started. The price rose higher and higher, and the number of bidders decreased until only two were left - a hooded person in the book and a wealthy man in the front.
"6,750 scons for the babe going once!" the blonde auctioneer cheered to the audience in the favor of the hooded person. "Going Twice!" But the man in the front held his ground down. "Sold to the number 351 in the back!"
The crowd began to clap at the amount of money offered, for it was almost like an honor in that society for having that much money to spend on something like this. But the hooded bidder did not clap or show any notion of pride for their money or deal, and instead cut through the crowd like a knife. The cloak that they had worn enveloped their body, showing no sign of gender, swayed through the crowd like a black dot in a bowl of milk, easily distinguished from the others.
"It's fine costumer you don't need to pay now. Please wait until the auction is fully over and pay backstage." The blonde man said, trying to stop them, but the hooded person continued.
"I don't plan to pay." the hooded person muttered in a low tone though the roaring crowd. The auctioneer gave them a confused look.
"And you're not going to sell anymore people. "
"Excuse me?"
The person abruptly stopped in the crowd and looked up at the auctioneer. "You should have stopped while you had the chance." The voice was cold and husky and it seemed to tear down the building in the man's eyes as if he saw the future. Shock covered his face, surprisingly he didn't drop the baby; he turned to warn the others but it was too late.
The hooded consumer unveiled herself revealing her long auburn pony-tail, stern brown eyes and the defined lines of stress and hard work of her face. Immediately she struck a hand toward the roof. As on cue others clad in black ascended from the ceiling with various weapons and proceeded toward the stage and crowd. The crowd roared as the attackers sliced their bodies, killing a large part of them. Their screams and cries echoed on the walls as the blood shed prolonged. The aggressors' strikes and jabs were so pristine and clean: it was obvious they weren't a normal bunch of murders. Each of them possessed their own particular weapon and not only mastered it, but obtained their own style.
One in specific wielded chains and seized both the auctioneer and Sakuno within them. The blonde man grunted in distress and Sakuno cried in his arms from the alarming noises and strong restraints. The auctioneer fell on his knees as the chains' grip tightened. The auburn haired woman stood before him, staring down at him condescendingly. He glared at her.
"Damn you!" he cursed at her, but she didn't change her expression. It was as if she had already heard and seen things like that before, so much that it no longer affected or meant anything to her. Her stoic stare remained.
Though on the inside she was dying of curiosity and worry for the child in the man's hands. How could a poor children like that have such a horrid fate of being here? Who was her parents? Where did she come from? All these questions ran through her head as she stared nonchalantly at the baby.
The person who captured the man finished restraining the auctioneer to the ground, and kneeling toward the lady he asked, "Captain what shall we do with this one? He seems to be the leader of the association, he matches the description perfectly." He looked back at the blonde man and glared with disgust before facing his superior again.
"Bring me the child." she ordered.
"Wha-hai!" he snatched the child from the villain's hands, who didn't easily release the kid, and handed her to the Captain, screaming and crying. Her eyes soften as she cradled the baby in her arms and rocked the babe, soothing her nerves. The blonde man's eyes sent ablaze when he saw how the woman cared for the child.
"Return her!" he demanded as he struggled with his chains, "Return her!"
Sumire scowled at him. "I wouldn't be talking like that if I was in your situation," she scoffed. "And why do you want to keep her now? You were very willing to sell her to me - or anyone in this place a little while ago. You didn't even know who I was when I sought to buy her."
"I know who you are ..." he trailed off. "You're the great assassin, Ryusaki Sumire." he stated in a low voice, as his green eyes gleamed. "You slaughtered an army of a hundred with five other comrades in the Kingdom Wars, protecting the Imai domain from the Kuonji Kingdom. You're known among the kingdoms famous your good deeds and skill, especially for doing it with a weak alice. It said you and your comrades are the aces of the era."
Annoyed with his useless history lesson she spat at him, "Stop with your useless flattery, you insolent brat."
"But you seem to be lacking now a days, Ryuzaki." he continued harshly, "You don't seem to be living up to your reputation. Your already weak alice is decreasing in age."
Furry overwhelmed her. "What do you-"
He broke her off. "I have the same alice as you, the alice of insight." The man smirked as he saw her flinch. For that type of alice was seldom, only a few in a century could ever obtain it.
"Though mine is several times stronger than yours. And just by holding that child and looking into her eyes, I was able to foresee her future. All her troubles and trials no one will be able to protect her from, like loving someone who is figuratively in another world and not being able to love him openly. That child ... " The blonde man's eyes laid gently on Sakuno. "She had the power to change the world or leave it to its own ruin." he spoke confidently as he recalled all the images ran through his head as he first held the child.
A disgusting, metallic taste stirred in her mouth. She knew when a person was lying and when they tried to act, but this was different, he was actually trying to pretend her actually cared and considered the girl's future. She loathed those kind of people. "And that is why she must not be in the hands of someone like you." Sumire snarled.
"No ... If you give her to me, I'll flee from here with her, keep her safe - away from those ill-fated people! And-" But she was fed up with his nonsense.
"Silence!" She glared at him and turned to her subordinate. "Behead him." The person nodded, "Hai."
The blonde started to panic. "You don't know what you're doing! That child - if that child meets those people and fights, she could die any early death. Has not your alice given you any wisdom?!" Sumire turned toward the man.
"I don't need my alice to obtain wisdom. Everyone has the choice to make their own decisions, I do not want to deprive her from her own free will. As for her fate, nothing can stop that from happening: if she meets them, she meets them. If she falls in love - there's nothing I can do to prevent it, it will happen and this is why I must prepare her for it." And with that she turned around and felt a sudden immense need to protect the child in her arms.
Cradling the child, she activated her alice, looking into the child's past. But what that man said was true, her alice was weakening. The images that came through her mind was blurry and unclear. It was if her past was a dark cloud that only spewed out the only that was really relevant: her first name, Sakuno.
As for the auctioneer, his head rolled across the stage and his blood stained the subordinate assassin's sword. That morning the wooden planks of the building was soaked and stained in blood. The soulless corpses were sprawled along the floor and an eerie silence remained in the air. Over a hundred people were killed that day for breaking the law. The massacre stopped all black market trading altogether. This incident stained history but was kept a secret from the new generations because of certain reasons within the kingdoms.
For it was the rulers of the kingdoms, who joined together in an alliance, was the people who orchestrated the mission for Sumire and the assassin group. All the monarchies saw this upcoming major problem and made a pact to protect their people. Several meetings and gatherings came about until they all came to a reasonable conclusion to end the black market. But for this plan, to stop this harmful uprising, they needed the help of outside forces, who would gladly work as mercenaries for them. They immediately thought of their greatest weapons and allies: the assassin villages.
They presented the organization with the proposition and fortunately, they accepted. The rulers and assassins collaborated a plan to finish the illegal trading completely. From there they elected a team leader: the famous Ryusaki Sumire, and following collected team of elites.
Then that morning they executed the plan, and the results were as expected.
After the massacre Sumire took in Sakuno, with the permission of the council, and raised her as her own. Sumire always wanted a child but never found the love with any of her campaigns and frankly, didn't have time for it. So after the mission the great Ryusaki Sumire retired in her grand manor with Sakuno.
The manor resided in another though, Sumire was humble as she was skilled and wished Sakuno to live a life as normal as it could be, with the exceptional of her undeniable fate. Sakuno inherited the surname, Ryusaki, as she was raised Sumire's granddaughter.
Sakuno grew to be a beautiful young girl and astonishingly, resembled Sumire in some of her characteristics. Both of them sharing the same shade of auburn hair and dark eyes.
Sumire cared for her like she would as Sakuno was her child. Buying her all her necessitates and more, she loved to spoil the child.
Sumire often took Sakuno on trips to the woods and to other natural places like valleys and mountains where they enjoyed the scenery. There in those places Sumire took heed of Sakuno's unfortunate destiny and taught her things that would later save Sakuno's life. Like the education of herbs and other helpful plants or ways to fix objects with only the surrounding things.
Sakuno took joy in these activities. They made her feel special; that she could actually change the world like Sumire had. Sakuno lived with the absence of her parents but she felt no sorrow of it because Sumire fill that slot to excellence. Sumire was Sakuno's ultimate role model and yearned to be just like her.
For the first seven years of Sakuno's young life she lived in happiness with her adopted grandmother, Sumire, spending most of their time in nature and together. But just after her seventh year fate and reality was inevitable and tragedy had to follow in Sakuno's footsteps.
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End.
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