The Hunter and the Hunted (chapter 3)

(from my Wattpad and FanFiction accounts)

 'Lock your windows, little girl.' He whispered. 'Otherwise, I just might pay you a visit."

Those were his exact words before he let her go. Sakura remembered that she had sensed a presence in her room...a presence that had kissed her as she slept. When she woke up, she found no sign of anyone actually being there. She had left her window open because her bedroom had a tendency. She never dreamed that someone would climb into her apartment window.

Takuya confessed that he had watched her sleep and stole her first kiss before making his way out of her apartment. He had hidden there while the feds searched for him. A traitor in his gang had blown his cover on a mission and needed a fast getaway. Sakura's open apartment window had been the only solution for him.

It was a frightening thing to know that a very dangerous criminal had been in her apartment while she slept and that he had kissed her as she slept. Sakura tightened her grip on her power stick, which had since cooled down. She sighed. For a mere mortal, she thought, Ikeda Takuya wielded a dangerous amount of power. He was a very imposing figure who commanded respect and fear. In his line of work, fear and respect went hand in hand.

'I guess I should tell the girls.'

Sakura quickly made her way to the Crown Arcade where her fellow Sailor Scouts often congregated after school. They were a couple of years younger than her but she didn't mind. It was very refreshing, as a matter of fact, to hang out with them after being in a private college with snooty students for so long. The only one that wasn't among them was her favorite person in the entire world and that one person happened to be Queen of Crystal Tokyo.

"Hey, ladies."

Invited to the table where her friends sat, she walked on over to them. Even though they were guardians of the royal family, they still had normal lives to live. Mizuno Ami, for example, was currently going to Medical school to become a doctor and was also interning at a local hospital. Hino Rei was the chief priestess of the Shinto shrine her grandfather once ran but had assistance from an old, high school crush. Neo-Queen Serenity didn't like the thought of having them at her side at all times. She wanted them to live life. She used the outer scouts as an excuse to let the others have a chance to live. Of course, everyone had been hesitant. They didn't want to leave their beloved queen completely without protection. As such, they compromised. They would live out normal lives and then return to duty. It seemed to work. 

As for Sakura, she lived her life on her own terms. She was an independent Scout but often worked with the inner scouts when it called for it. Whenever she had the chance, she would stop in and visit with the much beloved Queen. She was the one who gave her a chance at life after being rescued from the Dark Kingdom. She was given the chance to become a Sailor Scout. Look where she was now.

========================

"He was the guy who broke into my apartment the other night." Sakura said. "And stole my first kiss."

"I wish I had someone who would steal my first kiss." Aino Minako replied dreamily.

Hino Rei knocked her blonde friend over the head, scolding her that the man who had broken into their friend's home was a dangerous criminal. The man was notorious for taking down rival gangs in one fell swoop. Who knew what he and his thugs could have done to her in the alley?

"He could have raped and killed her, you idiot!" Rei growled.

"Rumor also has it that he deals in trafficking." Kino Makoto added.

Sakura had heard of that rumor and shivered. He could have abducted her that night and sold her off to some sex trader. However, that unwanted kiss he took from her and the way he held her in the alley made her think that he wanted her for himself. Plus, the way his eyes darkened when she told him one of his guys had groped her and, of course, when he re-broke his guy's wrist as well. 

Her friends agreed that he was a predator and that she should try to stay away from him as best as possible. Staying alone where he could go back for her wasn't an option. Rei and Makoto all offered her a place to stay until they could figure out a solution. 

"In the meantime, we'll all walk home together." Mizuno Ami proposed.

"Right!"

Sakura felt blessed to have such caring friends but she was also concerned that Takuya would also target them. Nothing was below him, after all. If he figured out who she was, then he would figure out who her friends were and use them in his twisted scheme...whatever that was. She sighed. Crystal Tokyo from the outside appeared to be the most perfect and most peaceful place in the world. For a time, that had been true before Ikeda Takuya and his gang moved into town. Then, around the same time, young women started to disappear. Sakura had always suspected him (or, at least, his gang) to be behind those disappearances but there was no conclusive evidence to tie the Shadow Gang. The bodies of the missing typically turned up a month later, if not longer, with no visible injuries.  

No one is safe, anymore.
.....

It didn't take Takuya long to track her down. Even though he let her go, it was imperative that he studied her movements. What good would a cat and mouse game be if he didn't know where the Cherry Blossom went? His very first encounter with her had been pure luck, plain and simple. Running into her in the alley had been guaranteed, though. He had seen her deviate from her normal route and decided that it was time to meet her in waking life. Again, who would have thought she would be the same girl that he had stolen a kiss from?

It didn't come as a surprise when he saw a group of attractive looking girls come out of the Crown Arcade. He did a little research and found out who Sakura hung out with. He didn't understand why she chose high school girls as friends but to each their own, he supposed. Alright, he found them far more attractive than he should have, especially that Hino Rei with her sleek black hair and fiery violet eyes. If his gang were any other gang, all of those girls would easily make a good target for the sex trade but his gang wasn't like that, despite rumors. 

"You don't see girls that pretty everyday," His right hand man said.

"Not at all." Takuya agreed. "Keep focused, though."

He might not sell them off but using her friends as bait to come to him (and killing them) was a very tempting idea. He smirked. A very tempting idea, indeed.