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Sakura pulled the skirt of her hanbok up and glanced around the hay-filled barn she found herself in. The door, she knew from her exploration a few minutes ago, was locked. The windows she realized, glancing up at them, were too high for her to reach safely. Or at least she assumed so because the man who was locked in the barn with her hadn’t made a move to escape from them.
She finally walked over to a stack of hay and plopped down on it before shuffling around as the hay prickled her skin through the layes of her hanbok. The stranger didn’t say anything as he say propped up against the barn wall, arms crossed over his chest, legs splayed out before him. He wore an odd looking eyepatch and had a hat with black beads which rested on a shock of silvery-white hair. He seemed to be dozing though Sakura couldn’t tell because he had a mask on too and part of her wondered how someone could be so nonchalant in a situation like this.
She pushed some of her hair back into its pink braid and sighed. So much for a walk around town. If she’d known that leaving the palace for a small stroll in the city would end up like this, she would have never agreed to Ino’s insane idea. But she had, and now she was faced with the consequences: trapped in a barn with a stranger for company.
She sighed again, then once more for good measure as she tried to tell the time based on the angle of the sun. A sudden movement caught her eye, and she turned, a little surprised to see the strange man had opened one eye to glare at her.
“You’re being too loud.”
Sakura frowned then scowled as she pointedly looked away from him. What did he know? He was more than likely just an innocent civilian caught up in her mess.
“Princess,” the man stated when she failed to look at him again. “Relax please. My men will get us out soon, and then you and I can be on our own merry ways.”
Sakura sat up straight, her eyes trained on the stranger again.
“How do you know who I am?”
He raised a brow then gestured with a hand towards her clothing and her hair. Sakura frowned. She’d tried to pick less showy clothing and had left her hair jewelry behind, but apparently that was not enough to hide her identity. It’s the pink hair she thought morosely.
When she fidgeted again, the man sighed. “Just wait for a few more hours. Take a nap if you want. My men will be here around nightfall.”
Sakura refused to nap around him. Innocent civilian or not, she didn’t trust him. So, she simply waited out the time till nightfall, reciting poems under her breath, weaving straw together into garlands, crowns, and flowers. Sometime when dusk fell, she saw the strange man sit up. Her stomach gurgled, and she blushed, holding a hand over it in embarrassment. He eyed her carefully before reaching into his clothing and removing a bundle. As he approached her, she huddled closer, desperately wishing that there was at least a rock in this place she could use as a weapon.
He scoffed at her as he opened the bundle and held it out to reveal two steam buns.
“Here,” he explained, squatting down in front of her. “You can have one. You might want to anyway. When my men get here, you’ll need all your energy.”
Sakura debated for a while. She didn’t know if the food was safe or trustworthy. But, when her stomach grumbled again, she decided to chance it and take one of the buns. As she bit into it, she noticed the man turn around and begin eating the other one judging by the sounds she heard. She didn’t know why he turned around, but she decided she didn’t care.
He was feeding her and freeing her later. Or, at least, she hoped he was. She frowned as she finished her bun. If he wasn’t, well, she’d just have to convince him to let her escape with him.
It was at least another hour, or so Sakura thought, before nightfall came and then the man moved again. He rested a hand on the hilt of a sword, and stood, leaning against the wall closest to the locked barn door. She dozed off for a bit and woke abruptly to the sound of hoofbeats and shouts.
The man moved, walking over to her. He used one hand to pull her up roughly, then turned them around to hide her just as the door burst open.
“Boss!” A voice hissed.
Sakura tried to peek, but the stranger held her tight to prevent her from moving. He shifted a little and then she heard him sigh.
“Took you long enough, Tenzo.”
Before Sakura knew what was happening, she was picked up, bridal style, and carried out of the barn. Any squeak or protest was cut off by the thought that if she yelled, they’d be trapped again by the enemy. Once outside, the stranger set her down and frowned at the horse set up before him.
“You know how to ride Princess?” He asked her.
When Sakura frowned, he grinned and called out to the man who had freed them. “Oi, Tenzo, help me out here would you?”
The other man sighed and then came over. Together, before Sakura knew what was happening, they helped her onto the horse. The stranger then got up behind her and the man named Tenzo took up his own horse.
The stranger leaned forward till his chin rested on his shoulder, his mask tickling her neck.
“Alright princess, let’s get you home.”
He kicked off his horse, dust flying up around them as the horse sped off, leaving that barn behind. As they left, Sakura pushed back into him and closed her eyes in a silent prayer. Hopefully, she thought, he would actually live up to her word and take her home again. And maybe, she wondered, relaxing into his hold, she’d find out just who he was in the process.