Okay all. I'm back with the next chapter of The Prince and The Slave. Thanks to all of you who reviewed, added me to your faves, or alerts, ETC. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
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The Prince and The Slave.
Chapter Seventeen.
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(Sakura's P.O.V.)
I looked at Anko as we made our way to Wave Country. I felt terrified. The closer we got, the more fear I felt. I remember reaching up and twisting the stone around my neck nervously. I looked at Anko, my face covered with a hood, and wondered if she had suffered fear on this mission. "Anko?" I questioned.
"Yeah kid?" Anko replied.
"Did you feel fear the first time you set out on a mission like this?" I asked.
"Yeah. I know you're scared too Sakura. You wouldn't be human if you didn't feel something. This kind of mission makes a girl nervous. No one feels calm on their first mission. Just remember that I'm here to make sure you're okay. If we follow the plan, we should both escape this alive, along with a large bunch of slaves in tow. Slaves who deserve freedom." Anko said to me. She sounded reassuring. I prayed that everything would be alright.
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(Sasuke's P.O.V.)
I stared out of my window. I know I was just hoping that Sakura would be alright. I couldn't help but admire her bravery. Even when she couldn't fight she was still brave. But going to a brothel, hoping that nothing went wrong, didn't sound like a good mission for Sakura. It didn't feel right at all. I heard a knock at my door. Before I could say 'come in' my Mother had entered the room. She looked thoughtful. "Sasuke are you alright?" She asked me.
"I'm fine Mother." I replied.
"I know you're worried about Sakura. The others are worried too. The girls are frightened that the mission will go wrong. I think that the best thing to do is to just have faith in her. I'm going to do my best. You do the same Sasuke." Mother told me seriously. I couldn't help but feel as though my Mother had said the right thing to help me. As she always does.
"Thanks Mother. I think you're right. If we don't believe in her, then what's the point of all of this?" I replied. I knew that Sakura seemed like a courageous person. She had to have that courage for a reason. Besides, I'd be in the town tomorrow. I didn't need to fear too much. Also I knew that Anko was with her. Pein seemed to trust her. We'd all come to Pein for protection. So we had to have faith in his judgement. I just prayed everything would be fine, as my Mother sat beside me, and after that I stared out of the window. The pair of us in silence.
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(General P.O.V.)
Sakura and Anko made it into Wave Country and to the legendary brothel in good time. One of the guards grabbed hold of Sakura's wrists. "Who's this?" The guard asked. A smirk on his leering face.
"My cousin. She's severely disfigured, so she keeps her face covered. She's staying in my room with me for a couple of days and then she's leaving to meet her brother in one of the little towns. She's no one you need to worry about." Anko stated. The guard dropped her wrist.
"You'd bring an ugly girl here? The Mistress won't be happy." The nameless guard told Anko.
"She's not here to work." Anko replied. She led Sakura inside.
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(Sakura's P.O.V.)
What I saw when I walked in, scared me, as I saw girls standing in a corner. They wore hardly anything but rags. One girl had violet eyes and her hair looked to be white blond. There was a girl with long red hair that I didn't know, but those two girls huddled together. I recognised some of the girls. They had been girls from my village. One red-haired, crimson-eyed girl, Karin, had worked in her family's bakery. There was a smaller girl, I heard called Moegi, she was only twelve. Her carrot coloured hair was loose. There was a dark-haired woman that I knew as Yukie. She was older than me, but not by much. I felt like I was in the pits of hell, as I saw the looks on the faces, of these girls I had known. They looked tortured. Like they couldn't recall who they were anymore. I thanked God for sending me to Sasuke. I could so easily have ended up in a place like this. As Anko led me away, up the stairs, I wondered if I could stand this mission. Not just physically, but mentally as well. I also knew I had to make some sort of contact with those girls that I knew. Maybe I could give them hope again.
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(General P.O.V.)
Sasuke, Naruto, Shikamaru, Neji, Kyubi, Kakashi, Rin, Obito, Lee, Kidomaru, Temujin, Sakon, Ukon and Jirobou, set out with Pein, Konan and Deidara the next day. All hoping the mission would succeed.
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(The Brothel P.O.V.)
Sakura peeked out of the bedroom every so often. She hoped to catch one of the girls going past. Finally, she saw Karin, walking in the direction to go down the stairs. Sakura grabbed hold of her and pulled her into the room. She covered her mouth, to make sure that Karin didn't scream. Karin looked at Sakura fearfully. "Who are you?" Karin asked softly. Sakura removed her hood. Karin's eyes went wide. "Sakura?" Karin whispered out.
"Ssh Karin. My friend and I are here to set you free. We need you to act as you always do until tonight. Which one of you is supposed to lock the door?" Sakura asked gently.
"She makes Moegi lock the door. Men like her, she gets customers well into the early hours. The key is on a hook near the door. At a certain time, the Mistress locks the door, and Moegi, or whoever is letting out the last client for the evening, usually locks the door after they leave." Karin replied.
"Well, someone needs to unlock the door after your Mistress locks it. Then my people will come in once we give them the signal. Are any of you allowed to go to the market?" Sakura asked softly.
"Yes. Shion. She's a shy girl. She walks in chains. She couldn't escape the village. The Mistress sends her to the market. In fact she'll be going soon." Karin replied. Sakura nodded, and quickly scribbled out a message.
"She needs to look for the inn, Mizukairai. She needs to ask for Ameko." Sakura stated, remembering what Pein had told her before she left. She handed the message to Karin.
"We'll get it there. The Mistress doesn't even have Shion followed. She knows that Shion can't run away. Not while she has her ankles shackled together." Karin said sadly. Karin looked down at her own shackled ankles.
"It'll be over soon Karin. Then we'll go to a place where you can learn to fight for yourself. Or where you can just be free. You'll be able to choose for yourself." Sakura whispered.
"I just want to have hope again." Karin whispered. She tucked the message under her shirt and left the room.
"I hope this works." Sakura thought.
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Karin snuck down the stairs. She saw Shion putting a ragged, grey shawl around her shoulders, and holding a ratty basket. The Mistress was yelling at her, making sure that Shion knew what to get. Then the fat, old woman left. Shion made to open the door. "Wait a second Shion." Karin whispered. The white-blond girl stared at Karin fearfully. Karin crept over to her as silently as she could. "We'll be free if you can do one thing Shion." Karin stated. Shion got a determined look on her face and smiled.
"Whatever it is, I'll do it." Shion stated.
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Okay that's the end of this chapter people. I hope you enjoyed it. Please R&R and let me know what you think.