My Snippets: Part 2

Covert Intentions

Sakura attempts to hide away in an abandoned bookstore to escape an ill fate, but it wasn't as "abandoned" as she originally thought.

Thief Sakura. Mage Sasuke. AU. Snippet.

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Her dark hoodie slipped downward, revealing a mass of pink that flowed freely behind her in bouncing waves. She didn't dare stop to pull it back up; deeming the process as a useless endeavor over continuing her attempt at escape; precious cargo secured around her neck.

"There! She's down there!"

"Get her, men! Don't let her escape now!"

"You're dead if we catch you, little lady!"

Their evil taunts only spurred her onwards, and she raced quickly between the tall buildings until she came across a dilapidated looking one; an old book store by the looks of it, she guessed before roughly shoving her way in through a partially opened window.

She was gasping for air as her head swiveled from side to side in the dimly lit space. 'Surely I can lose them amongst the shelves,' she thought as she moved through them like a maze. Sakura could hear grunting behind her before the sound of a door being ripped from its hinges and falling to the floor with a resounding clatter could be heard next.

She flinched as several male voices whispered amongst themselves as she tip-toed around to try and conceal her whereabouts from the angry mob of soldiers.

"She couldn't have gotten far."

"We've got the building surrounded."

"There's no way she can fight off all of us at once."

"When I find her, I'm going to kil—"

"Excuse me...," a new voice sounded among the trio and Sakura strained her ears the best that she could to try and decipher it, but she didn't recognize it from anywhere and shook her head to clear it before ducking into an alcove in the wall on her right. As long as nobody came in her direct line of sight, she should be able to remain relatively hidden from their view. The newcomer continued while she waited anxiously for them to leave. "Can I help you gentlemen?"

"This is none of your business, Mage!"

"Yeah, stay out of it!"

The air seemed to thicken instantaneously and she could practically feel the fear rolling off of her attackers. But the newcomer's voice remained calm and aloof, as if the new tension in the room didn't bother him in the slightest. "On the contrary, it is my business when you break down the door to my shop." The metal weighed heavily on her neck as she waited for an opportunity to escape unseen.

"L-look, man," the leader stuttered, "I didn't want to break the door down... b-but—"

"We're here for the girl...," one of his comrades intervened on his behalf when he seemed unable to speak. "Hand her over to us, and we'll be out of your hair. We'll even pay for the damages done... if that suits you."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I don't know of any girl, but I do know that if you don't clear out of my shop...in the next few seconds... you'll regret it." Hushed murmuring could be heard as they considered and contemplated their options, before the group finally relented and with one final apology they left. Sakura wished that she could let out a big sigh of relief, but it would have been short lived as she heard footsteps steadily approaching only a few moments after the soldiers had exited. She pressed herself against the wall and waited. "I don't know what you did, miss... but I highly recommend that you grovel at their feet... and beg for their forgiveness at your earliest convenience."