-Izuku-
The blonde seethes at him, red eyes harsh.
"I fucking promise, now hurry the hell-"
He doesn't wait to listen to what else he has to say. He's already made up his mind. This person is the biggest lead he has right now. If he has the names and faces of the people that frequent here, that's a bigger list of people who might know something.
He has no idea how much a slave costs, but hopefully the price isn't more than a super fancy backpack. He leaves the restricted area and doesn't have to walk far to find the owner of the place.
He is inspecting a couple of people with chains around their necks and brightens up when he sees Izuku approaching.
"Have you found anyone that interests you?"
He nods and tells him that the blonde with the red eyes is who he wants, and how much he will be taking for him. The man nods quickly, patting Izuku's shoulder. He has to repress a disgusted shiver.
"A fine choice! Even though that one is used more for physical pleasure than work, he's still pretty good in that area! For that reason, I'll set the price at..."
The man pretends to think, before speaking again.
"30,000! Gold of course. A discounted price since you are a man with taste!"
Izuku doesn't know how many zeros that is, but he prays to the gods that he can afford it. He tells the man he's just going out to get his money, and the man sends him off, continuing with his previous task from before.
He rushes out of the tent, past the growing line of people outside of it, all managed by the person standing on the small wooden step.
"Single file everyone! You will all be able to make your purchases!"
He walks back to the fountain, having to quickly breeze past more crowds. He gets to the corner where Fenrir waits, digging his nose into one of the packages of the sled, probably rations. His head perks up and he looks at Izuku as he approaches.
Izuku pets his head before digging in the sled, taking out the rations and letting him have it. The wolf devours the contents, and Izuku looks for a small pouch. He had found it when he was retying the items to the sled on their long journey over here, with a small note reading 'Emergencies only.'
Izuku holds the leather pouch in his hand, feeling the weight of the gold coins. Mr. Toshinori would classify this as an emergency, right? Without another thought he puts the pouch in his pocket and tells Fenrir to wait just a little longer.
The wolf's yellow eyes track him as he walks away, back towards the tent. The man is waiting out front, eyes landing on him. He claps his hands together when Izuku brings out the pouch.
"Good! Let's see,"
He swipes it and puts a hand on the small of his back, pushing him back into the tent. The man is busy counting the coins in the pouch as they walk back to the cages, and to the familiar corner. The man is muttering to himself, the sound of the coins jingling, sounding like cries to Izuku's ears.
He says a tearful goodbye in his mind as the man puts the pouch in his pocket.
"Looks like everything is in order! Nice doing business with you!"
Izuku doesn't say anything as the man takes a ring of keys from his belt, skillfully sifting through them to find the right one. Once he does, he inserts it into the lock, and it slowly opens with a drawn-out creak. Nothing happens for a second, and the man clicks his tongue in impatience.
"Come out now, you bastard! Someone bought you! Let's hope for your sake this is the last time!"
The man's harsh tone is a complete turnaround from the one he was addressing Izuku with earlier. The blonde comes out of the cage, a glare on his face just like before. He grumbles something, and as the man slams the now empty cage shut, he is busy stretching his limbs.
Izuku can see that the clothes he is wearing are torn up and tattered, and he wonders what life has been like for him. The man glowers at the blonde, before giving Izuku a grin.
"I hope you will be satisfied with your purchase today!"
Izuku nods and the two of them are seen out. They aren't allowed to leave the tent until a metal chain is hooked to the restraint around the blonde's neck and the heavy chain and key is placed in Izuku's hands. They walk out of the black market like that, and finally back to the sled.
Izuku hands him the key, and the blonde instantly unlocks it, letting the heavy iron drop to the ground. Fenrir is sniffing the items before turning away from them to begin sniffing the blonde, who acknowledges the wolf with a pat to his head.
By then, Izuku is already questioning him about everything he knows. He asks about the names, the faces, even conversations that he may have heard. The new information that he would be able to get from this person could save him so much time, he wouldn't have to go to every single place that was marked on the map, and he could try and find more people who could be involved-
He hadn't noticed that he was muttering until he's stopped by the blonde, who has an annoyed look on his face (When doesn't he?).
"Quit that nerdy ass rambling, I can't even hear you."
Izuku shuts his mouth, his shoulders tense. The blonde looks away from him and back to the black market, thinking. Then, he looks back at him.
"The guy that's in charge of this entire shitshow, not just the slave trade,"
Izuku assumes he means the head of the organization.
"Is named Shigaraki. He's got freaky ass hand tattoos on his body, and people say he severs his opponents' hands and wears them like a freak. Anyway, he usually shows up with another guy. Dabi, who has burn marks on half of his face."
"They make shipments of slaves over in the next town. It's like a fucking graveyard over there, so they won't get caught unless King Nezu in the capital hears about it. Those are the main two that run the slave trade."
YOU ARE READING
I'll be your island in the raging storm
Fanfiction- Warning, Super slow burn - Izuku has lived a hard life trying to survive in the cold winter mountains. They are all he has known. Katsuki has lived a hard life trying to survive in the cold cages of the black market. They are all he has known. ...
