Oh no, another story from me before anything else is finished. I'm on my last push at university and I have no time for writing. The only reason that this has been finished is that it's been half written for months and months.
This is a oneshot series, all based around a period of history: 50 AU prompts.
I find it much easier to write oneshots rather than update a story when I have very limited time, and I hope that you enjoy this :)
Prompt # 01
Arabia
The desert was rapidly cooling around a dark figure and his accomplices, the heat of the day lingering only in the sand beneath their feet. The groups' focus was the sprawling palace nestled in the sand dunes, an imposing sight for miles around. Their vantage point, high upon the dunes themselves, gave the group a perfect view of the palace and its grounds, and the steady stream of people travelling through the desert to reach it.
The palace of Gaara of the Desert was renowned far and wide: built in the midst of a sprawling oasis, the palace was well provided with water and shade, and yet still extremely secluded from the more populous settlements gathered on the shores.
The golden-coloured stone of the palace walls were illuminated by an abundance of vast braziers, the flames beckoning the approaching travellers. The domed towers at the corners of the complex were inlaid with gold, glinting in the last remnants of the sun, disappearing below the desert hills.
The shadowed man took one last glance at the palace before turning to his company, surveying them with dark eyes.
"You all know the plan?" They nodded and he smirked in return. "Well then, what are we waiting for?"
Wordlessly the group of people split off into pre-arranged groups, a blonde haired man hurrying after the leader.
"Hey, Sasuke? Why are all those people heading to Gaara's place?"
Sasuke sighed in annoyance, pulling out his lucky scarf and wrapping it around his head and then his neck. "Do you ever listen, Naruto? It's Gaara's birthday and people are coming from far and wide to pay their respects to him... hoping to get in his good graces I suppose."
"Then why are we sneaking in tonight? Security is going to be worse than usual. The guards will looking out for people trying to sneak in."
"Exactly," Sasuke muttered. "I imagine that everyone who goes through the gates will be checked thoroughly, and security around Gaara will be ridiculously tight. Luckily for us that will mean there will be less guards in the rest of the palace... and we're not using the front door."
Naruto hummed thoughtfully but fell quiet as they approached the shadowed walls on the east side of the palace. They had spent many days and nights watching the building and learning the guard shifts and patterns and tonight was the result of all that planning. With the perimeter of the complex being so expansive, they had a few valuable minutes to get up onto the palace roof and out of sight of the guards.
Naruto kept look out as Sasuke skimmed his hands over the wall, searching for decent footholds. This side of the palace was covered with lattice-work windows, which would make scaling to the top much easier, and luckily they would be unoccupied, the palace's residents all being congregated in the great banqueting hall to celebrate their master's birthday.
Finally finding purchase on the wall, Sasuke pulled his scarf up to cover his mouth and began the dizzying climb upwards, whistling for Naruto to follow. It was slow-going, the two men pausing regularly in order to wait for patrols to pass by on the ground. Once he reached the roof, Sasuke peered over the edge, making sure there were no guards.
Finding that the coast was clear, the thief pulled himself up and then helped his companion clamber onto the blessedly empty roof. Motioning towards the tower that lay at the farthest corner of the roof, Sasuke beckoned Naruto to follow him, moving swiftly and silently. Halfway to their destination however, Naruto grasped Sasuke by the arm and tugged him down to the floor. Sasuke cursed lowly as Naruto forced them to lie on their stomachs, inches away from a huge domed skylight.
"What are you doing?" Sasuke hissed.
Naruto pointed at the tower they had been heading towards and Sasuke cursed as he saw the shadowy figures patrolling outside the roof access to the tower and, casting his eyes further up, he also spotted more guards through the windows of the tower itself.
"Damn it, Gaara's better than I gave him credit for. Even on a night like this he wouldn't leave it unattended."
Naruto sighed. "What are we going to do now? It would be suicide to approach from the roof, they'd spot us a mile off."
Sasuke inwardly agreed with Naruto, as soon as they passed the skylight and made it to the pool of light cast by the braziers hanging from the tower, they would be spotted. Sasuke would bet his life on Gaara having archers on the top of the tower as well.
Glaring at the tower through the glass dome in front of him, Sasuke cast his eyes downwards and smirked. The impressive glass dome was the skylight to the grand hall it seemed, and Sasuke found himself peering down into the ridiculously large room. The people sat around the four edges of the hall were minute from Sasuke's height, though he could spot Gaara's mop of red hair with little difficulty.
"We get to tower through the inside."
"What! Sasuke I think that scarf is cutting off circulation to you brain. You want us to just stroll in through the front door?"
"No you idiot, look." Sasuke pointed down to the hall below and Naruto followed his lead. "Look at the curtains."
There were richly coloured drapes hanging from ceiling to floor, the material thick and luxurious enough to hold the weight of several men.
"If I can get down to a curtain, I'll be able to make my way across to one of the balconies," Sasuke said, pointing to the balconies that overhung the great hall. "I'll have better luck sneaking in to the tower from the inside; there are more places to hide."
Naruto grinned widely and got up into a crouching position. "Let's go then!"
"No, I'll be doing this one on my own, Naruto." Before the blonde could protest, Sasuke hurried on. "I need you to lower me down, then get back to the others and tell them that the plan has changed. Tell them to head back to the port and the ship without us, tell them to ride through the night until they get there. You will bring two of the horses to the front entrance. Try and steer clear of the guards idiot, because I'm going to be heading out of the front door and I don't want the fact that we've just stolen from Gaara to be too obvious."
"Why would you come out of the front?" Naruto looked confused.
"The guards won't be worried about people sneaking out. They will assume that anyone who got in went through them in the first place... but just in case I need you nearby with the horses for a speedy getaway."
Naruto thought about it for a moment before nodding and shrugging the coil of rope from his shoulders and standing up fully. "Great, but how are we going to get through this dome? I'm pretty sure it will attract attention if we just smash it."
Sasuke straightened up next to his friend and unsheathed his sword, sliding the tip expertly against a bottommost pane of glass where it met the stone of the roof. "Be ready to grab this, we need to be quiet."
Working the blade of the sword carefully, Sasuke shimmied it enough that he felt it lift from the bottom, where Naruto's fingers lifted it, pulling it fully out of the gold framing and lowered it gently to the floor. Wasting no time, and working with dexterous fingers, Sasuke knotted the rope around his middle and crouched next to gap they had created in the dome.
Naruto took up the other end of the rope and braced his feet against the strong metal frame of dome. "I hope you've been laying off the cakes, Sasuke."
Sasuke smirked back at his friend, their exchanges of insults second nature to them. "I hope you've got more muscles than a little girl, I'd hate to end the night by falling to my death."
"We'll see then, won't we?" Naruto grinned, letting some rope fall lax as Sasuke hung by his fingertips from the roof. "Tug on the rope when you've untied yourself will you? I'm not standing here for my health."
Sasuke laughed under his breath as he let go of the roof, falling momentarily before Naruto counterbalanced his weight. He was immensely grateful that the room was so large that his dangling body drew no attention of the people far below.
Naruto lowered him slowly until he could grasp the heavy material of the curtains, and he made sure to get a good purchase with one hand before untying the rope from his waist. A sharp tug on the rope let Naruto know that he was safe, and the rope was pulled back through the skylight without a sound.
Sasuke took a moment to look down and observe his surroundings. He was pleased to see that the festivities had already kicked off, keeping everyone's attention fixed firmly on the centre of the room some thirty feet below him.
In ordered succession people would come forward to where Gaara sat and wish him joy on his birthday before presenting him with their gifts. Some people had brought rare gemstones, others magnificent works of art. Currently taking their turn in front of Gaara was a magician who created spectacular blasts of fire and coloured explosions from which exotic birds would fly, and the crowd gasped and applauded as Sasuke scuttled across the drapes.
It was tiresome work, with Sasuke moving his whole body with only his arms. He listened as people spoke to Gaara to distract himself.
"My revered Master," a bellowing voice proclaimed when Sasuke was halfway to the balcony. "We are but a poor desert tribe but we have travelled here to share with you the gift of dance."
Sasuke decided to take a break from his traversal of the room, his interest piqued. Having crossed Gaara a few times in the past, he knew that the man was not one for finding beauty in the arts and Sasuke was intrigued to see how a poor tribes' dancing would be received. He had a perfect view of the hall, hanging high but directly behind where Gaara was sitting.
The tribe's leader was a huge man, his black hair knotted into plaits and beads and rings of metal hanging from the ends. He bowed lowly to Gaara before continuing with his spiel.
"Ten years ago my tribe discovered a small girl, a desert flower, abandoned and lost. We took her in and she has grown to be the most precious thing to our tribe. Tonight we share her beauty with you in one of our tribe's traditional dances."
The man bowed and moved to the side of the room, where he took a seat at a large drum, one of many lined up against the wall. The beat they started up was vigorous and fast paced, and beckoned a stream of red-clothed dancers into the room. The women wore loose fitting trousers and bejewelled brassieres and the men were bare-chested wearing trousers similar to their female counter parts.
Sasuke watched detachedly as the women spun around, leaped and rocked to the rhythm, impressed by their skill but deciding it would be a better use of his time to carry on towards the balcony. Just as he prepared to shift his grip, the music changed to a soft, seductive beat and female voices singing in a language he couldn't understand joined in. Across the floor came a figure, obviously feminine, dressed in white instead of red, with a cloak shielding her head and face.
The other dancers separated as this new woman took the focus of the audience, her hands making complex patterns in the air as she moved her body to the softer beat. The music built up in tempo again, and the dancer in white changed with it. As the music reached a peak the woman threw the cape from around her, making Sasuke's breath catch in his chest.
Unlike the other female dancers, this woman wore a skirt split to her hips on either side, and instead of the black hair that seemed common to the tribe, her hair was the most unique shade of pale pink.
The other dancers rushed back into the action, the pink-haired maiden leading the men on a snaking dance across the floor. Sasuke barely paid attention to the story of the dance, his eyes focused upon the girl for reasons unbeknownst to him – he could barely see her face after all.
At the end of the song the girl had apparently been killed, and was lifted up into the the air by the male dancers. The audience applauded as the music died down and Sasuke was frozen in place when the woman's eyes snapped open and he found himself looking straight into a pair of bright, apple green eyes.
The woman regarded him curiously for a moment before she was lowered back to her feet. Sasuke watched as she and the other dancers bowed to Gaara and he was relieved, but confused, when the girl did not look back at him.
Sasuke's eyes flicked to Gaara and watched as the man spoke into the ear of one of his guards. The guard nodded and hurried down to when the tribe chief stood with the pink-haired girl, speaking lowly to them before guiding them out of the room.
Pulling himself back together, Sasuke began to move across the curtains once more. He couldn't afford to dawdle, for all he knew the pink-haired dancer might be telling the guards that she saw him. His final approach to the balcony was tense, but Sasuke was glad to see that the festivities were still going on; Gaara and his guards' attention was successfully diverted.
One last swing was all it took for Sasuke's feet to find the marble tiles of the balcony and he didn't hesitate to step into the corridor beyond a red silk curtain. Taking a short moment to get his bearings, Sasuke headed left, moving quickly but silently through the palace. He let the position of the moon guide him, glancing through every window he passed, making sure he was heading straight for the tower.
A few times, Sasuke came across a patrolling guard but they were easily avoided by ducking into recesses and behind ridiculously large urns. At one point he met a stationary guard at a junction, but a quick blow with the hilt of Sasuke's sword solved that problem, and the guard was shoved unceremoniously into the closest room.
Sasuke was relieved when he came to his destination, his footsteps fast but cautious as he climbed up the interior steps of the tower. He slowed his approach as he reached the top, pressing his back against the wall of the open doorway and watching the guards circling the room. In the middle of the room was a wooden ladder which led straight up into another chamber, in which lay Sasuke's prize.
Two guards were stationed in the room, stood at each window of the tower, surveying the roof and outside grounds. Two. That meant that Sasuke would have to deal with at least one of them silently, and quickly, to avoid attracting attention. The last thing he needed was a fight on his hands. It was lucky for the thief that the guards were completely turned away from one another, but unfortunately for Sasuke, he would be noticed in the periphery of which ever guard he approached. It was maddening, being so close to his prize and yet being unable to make the final approach. Sasuke kept close to the outside wall, glaring at the guard he could see from his hiding place. As though the guard could feel a burning gaze upon him, he shivered and glanced towards his companion.
It was just the opening Sasuke needed.
Swiftly and silently, the thief swept from the shadows and clamped his hand over the guard's mouth before he could turn back to the window. Holding tightly to the guard's face, Sasuke's other arm raised and held his sword against the terrified man's throat. The guard took the hint, not attempting to scream, and ceased his struggling. Sasuke glanced across the room to the other, completely oblivious guard, and was satisfied that his presence was still unnoticed. Faster than the eye could follow, Sasuke removed his had from the guard's mouth and jabbed two fingers into the back of the man's neck, effectively rendering him unconscious. Lowering the man to the floor gently, Sasuke turned to the last obstacle standing between him and his prize.
The proximity to his goal caused a rush of anticipation to flood through Sasuke's veins, and with much less finesse than with the first guard, he stalked towards his victim and brought the handle of his sword down hard on the guard's head. The man slumped to the floor like a lead weight, but Sasuke was satisfied that he was still breathing.
With no one else to stop him, Sasuke rushed to the ladder, climbing as quickly as he could. The chamber at the top of the tower was rather small, but blessedly empty, and Sasuke pulled himself into the room in relief. There were a few small chests around the room, no doubt filled with gold coins and precious jewels, but they were not of his interest.
Sasuke's dark eyes scanned the room carefully, not seeing what he was looking for. Oh, Gaara was a smart one. Undeterred, Sasuke began circling the room, running a hand along the smooth marble of the walls as he went; he knew it was in the room somewhere. It took a few circuits of the room before Sasuke's fingers grazed past an imperfection in the marble bricks. Crouching down to the crack, he saw that it wasn't a crack at all but perfectly straight... a hinge.
Smirking, Sasuke pulled out his sword and worked around the hinged brick, wiggling it slowly from the wall. It took a few minutes of tense work, with Sasuke aware of how short his time was becoming, before the brick slid from the wall and into his waiting hand. Sasuke stared down at the marble box, barely bigger than his palm, before running his finger nails around the faint groove that ran around the sides of the brick, eventually finding a tiny latch.
The box popped open slightly and it was with baited breath that Sasuke flipped the lid completely open. The crystal orb nestled in the velvet that lined the box reflected Sasuke's wide smirk back at him and the man laughed lowly. He and his crew would be set for life when he turned this item into their contractor. Straightening up, Sasuke closed the box and tucked it into a leather pouch at his waist. Now, to get out of the palace without drawing attention to himself. Simple.
Okay, not so simple.
Sasuke had made it out of the tower and through most of the main palace undetected. Deciding it would be better to approach the main gates from the darkness of the central courtyard and gardens rather than the grand entrance hall (less light for the guards to recognise his face), Sasuke had taken a passageway which would lead him towards the centre of the palace.
He was now inwardly choking himself in frustration.
Gaara had apparently left the celebrations early and was stood just around the corner from where Sasuke was stood pressed into an alcove. Sasuke had almost barrelled into the red-haired man, and was only stopped from doing so by the man's voice drifting around the corner.
"I wish to thank you for travelling all this way to bestow your gift upon me."
Sasuke furrowed his brow, he had never known Gaara to be polite to anyone. Wondering who the king was speaking with, Sasuke tentatively inched his way to the corner, chancing a brief glance into the passageway beyond.
Sasuke was pressed back into his hiding place within seconds, his sharp sight taking in all he needed to know.
The large, wild looking chieftain he had seen earlier in the night was stood talking to Gaara, towering over the smaller man.
She was there too.
The pink-haired dancer who had caught his attention and who had not alerted the guards to his presence. She was stood next to the chieftain, dwarfed by both men and a disgruntled look upon her face.
The only relief for Sasuke was that there appeared to be no guards with him.
"Thank you, Highness. There is no need to thank me however, it was a pleasure to see your magnificent palace." The chieftain's voice was deep, reverberating through Sasuke's ribcage.
"Will you not stay the night? My palace contains many rooms for you and your tribe." Now Sasuke knew that something was afoot, Gaara was in no way generous or charitable.
"The offer is most appreciated, Highness, but we must make our way to the coast. We need to barter our way on to a ship heading across the sea; it is time to try our luck in a different land."
"You need not barter your way anywhere."
Sasuke heard the clink of metal upon metal and he would recognise the sound anywhere – gold.
"Sire! This is an amazing amount of coin... but I do not understand. Is it a gift?"
"No," came Gaara's low voice. "It is payment."
"For what?"
"For the beautiful desert flower stood next to you."
There was a deep silence in the passageway, and Sasuke's fists clenched impulsively. A new voice joined the conversation at that point, a voice which was soft and sweet but fired by anger and hissing in a language unknown to Sasuke.
The girl ranted at the chieftain for a while longer before Gaara cut in.
"I would prefer to hear what it is you are saying, Blossom."
Sasuke heard the girl inhale angrily and could practically see her bristling.
"I was saying, my liege, that I am not for sale. I have no idea who you think you are, but if you think that I will just let you –"
"Enough!" Sasuke was surprised to hear the chieftain's rumbling voice call for silence. "Gaara, Your Highness, this is a most kind and flattering thing for you to offer, but how can I give up one of my children?"
"She would be well taken care of. Living in a palace such as this, having people at her beck and call."
"That is most generous, but I cannot. I – "
"I will double the price."
Gaara's word brought silence. Sasuke listened carefully, wondering what the chieftain's reaction would be.
"She will be taken care of?"
"No! Father please, you can't!"
The horror and terror in the girl's voice caught Sasuke in the chest.
"She will be." Gaara affirmed. "Here." Sasuke heard another pouch of gold exchanging hands.
"Father, don't do this to me... please."
"I'm sorry, Flower. I have to think of the rest of the tribe. Be happy."
Sasuke pressed himself against the wall as much as possible as the chieftain rushed past, two bags of gold bouncing against his hip, heading back to the main hall.
"Do not look so sad. I am a man of my word, I will take care of you. You will be wealthy beyond your wildest dreams." Gaara spoke with little emotion.
"I would rather be penniless than your whore." The girl hissed viciously.
Sasuke heard a muffled grunt, and when Gaara next spoke his voice edged on anger.
"I would mind your tongue if I were you, I have a rather short temper. I have paid for you and you are mine. You can be my queen or a lowly bed-warmer. It is very much up to you."
"I would rather death."
"That would be waste of my investment."
Sasuke had heard enough, drawing his sword he turned the corner, the tip of his blade levelled at Gaara, who held the pink-haired dancer against the wall by her neck.
"My my, Gaara. Having to pay for female affection now?"
Gaara loosened his grip on the girl's neck, but kept a tight hold on her upper arm. Turning to face Sasuke, his heavily lidded eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Uchiha."
Sasuke smirked, relishing having the king at the tip of his blade, helpless.
"What are you doing in my palace, thief?"
"Oh you know," Sasuke shrugged carelessly. "Heard you were having a party and thought I'd drop in pay my respects."
"How thoughtful. Now get out before I kill you."
"That's just what I was doing before I stumbled upon this little scene. Really, not your style at all, Gaara."
The girl held close to Gaara's side was staring at Sasuke with sad eye. She was astonishing up close, her eyes expressive and her face as beautiful and innocent as a porcelain doll. But Sasuke had heard her sharp tongue and knew there was fire in the girl... it would be a shame to leave her to Gaara's whims.
"It is none of your business, Uchiha."
"Oh, but it is. I'm a gentleman after all, I feel compelled to help a damsel in distress. Besides, I've been thinking of adding another member to my crew for a while now, and I think this little lady has fighting spirit, don't you?"
"Stay away from what's mine, Uchiha." Gaara growled.
Sasuke stalked towards the red head until the tip of his sword was just pressing through the lavish silk of Gaara's tunic. "You can't buy everything."
Gaara's free hand flew up and grabbed the blade at his chest, gripping tightly until blood dripped from his clenched fist and down his arm. "You do not scare me, Uchiha. You are still the little bottom-dwelling orphan I knew all those years ago."
Sasuke's fist came from the left faster than Gaara could register and the redhead was sent sprawling to the floor. He almost took the girl with him, but Sasuke caught her by the wrist and wrenched her from Gaara's grasp. While the king lay stunned on the floor, Sasuke tugged the girl towards the end of the corridor, sword held out before him. At the end of the passageway Sasuke looked left and right, totally unsure of which way to go.
An idea gripped him suddenly, and Sasuke poked his head out the window. The coast was clear and they were only one floor up. Perfect.
Turning to the girl who was staring at him wide-eyed, Sasuke sheathed his sword, scooped her up in his arms. "Hold on."
The girl barely had time to protest before Sasuke launched them both from the window, wooden frame shattering around them, landing in the shrubbery below the window, cursing as the branches scratched his arms. The girl scrambled from on top of him, and Sasuke struggled to his feet, looking around for the best escape route.
He had little time to search however, before Gaara appeared at the window, face livid, eyes wild and a bruise forming across his cheek.
"Guards!" He screamed in fury. "Get them! I'm going to gut that thief!"
"Damn it." Sasuke groaned as he saw guard rush from their various posts around the area, heading straight for Sasuke and the bewildered girl he had with him. Grabbing her hand, Sasuke began pulling her towards the nearest gate, guided by the giant braziers hanging over it. The girl was struggling to keep up with him and, looking down, Sasuke saw that she was bare-footed. Grumbling to himself, Sasuke swept her into his arms once more, before swinging her onto his back. He felt a little flustered as her bare legs gripped at his sides tightly and she buried her head in his neck. Sasuke could hear mumbling curses and prayers intermittently and he would have laughed if he wasn't so focused on not dying.
The gate was close, he could make out the ornate metal in the darkness and he picked up his pace. A few yards from freedom however, a flash in the corner of Sasuke's eye caused him to halt, the hurled sword barely missing his nose. The sword landed a few feet to his left and Sasuke heard the girl whimper. Drawing his sword, Sasuke faced the direction the sword had come from.
Sasuke was unsurprised to see Gaara stood there, surrounded by guards and breathing heavily. Sasuke slid the girl from his back, tucking her behind him where the only guards were the two posted at the gate, and both seemed unsure whether to leave their stations. Sasuke kept his focus on the groups at his front and his side, his mind working a mile a minute, trying to figure out how he was going to get out of this alive.
Sasuke cursed when he felt the girl move away from him, but dared not turn to look. She was back at his side within seconds however, the sword that had been thrown by Gaara held firmly in her hand. She levelled it at the group of guards before them, and Sasuke could tell that she had no skill with a blade, but admired her steady hand.
"Give it up, Uchiha. Just surrender now and I'll have you beheaded instead of feeding you to the desert rats." Gaara said in amusement, convinced of his victory.
Sasuke smirked back at the man. "What, aren't you feeling hungry, Gaara?"
Sasuke could practically hear the red head's teeth grinding in anger and his smirk grew wider.
"No matter. I will kill you here and now and teach that little sand viper a lesson in respecting her owner."
The girl at Sasuke's side laughed mockingly. "This sand viper would love to know if you are half the man your mother is, Highness."
Sasuke could not hold in the snigger at the girl's words, and delighted in the way Gaara's face changed colour to match his hair.
The king glared at the girl and sneered. "You aren't worth anything more than being cheap entertainment, Blossom. Even your own tribe sold you off."
Sasuke felt the girl stiffen beside him and knew things were quickly coming to a head. The guards at the gate had started to approach from behind, Sasuke could hear their footfalls on the marble paving of the gardens, and knew that their best chance of escape was through them. He just hoped there were no archers posted over the gate.
Gaara raised an imperious finger at Sasuke and narrowed his eyes. "I'm tired of this, do what you need to, just don't kill the girl." The guards moved forward at his command and Sasuke settled further into a fighting stance. It was escape or die trying.
"WHOOO! SASUKE!"
Never before had Sasuke been so relieved to hear that voice. Whipping around, he was just in time to see Naruto barrel into the courtyard on the back of a fine chestnut Arabian horse, an equally spectacular black horse being tugged behind him.
The two guards in the way of Naruto scrambled clear of the horses' hooves and Sasuke rushed forward to meet him, tugging the girl alongside once more.
Naruto threw the reigns to Sasuke, and the raven-haired man lifted the girl into the saddle before climbing up behind her.
"Well hello there," Naruto grinned. "Who's this?"
"Later, Naruto." Sasuke hissed. Gaara and his men had recovered from their shock and were racing towards them.
With a sharp kick and yell from Sasuke, the horses took off towards the gates and to freedom. The desert outside of the gate was free from guards and Sasuke smiled in victory. He paused momentarily, and caught Gaara's eye over his shoulder. The red head was snarling in frustration and Sasuke nodded his head in a mocking gesture.
"Thanks for the orb, Gaara. Much appreciated."
The look of horrified realisation on the Gaara of the Desert's face was the last sight greeted to Sasuke before he spurred his horse on once more and he disappeared into the desert, friend at his side and his second prize tucked under his chin.
The nearest port to Gaara's palace was more than a day away, and Sasuke knew Gaara was not stupid enough to follow him blindly into the desert. He and Naruto had drove the horses as hard as they dared, catching each other up on the finer details of the night as the rode, and they caught up with the other members of the crew a few hours away from the port.
The men who had accompanied Sasuke on this quest stared at the girl who was sleeping against his chest in curiosity, but had declined to mention anything. Sasuke was relieved that the girl wasn't kicking up a fuss or complaining about the rough journey... she was unlike most of the other girls he had met before.
The port town where the ship was anchored came into view in the approaching dusk of the next night, the group had made good time, only stopping once to rest the horses and going without sleep. The faction filed into the town quietly, keeping the attention on them a minimum. Finding the nearest stable, the group sold their horses on to the owner, with Sasuke quite reluctant to part with his well-bred steed but knowing they had nowhere suitable for it on the ship.
The group began to move through the streets on foot before Sasuke remembered that the girl had no shoes on her feet. Thinking quickly, Sasuke led her to a fountain and sat her on the end. Kneeling before her, the dark eyed thief tore long strips from his already tattered cloak and wrapped the girl's small feet up. He noticed how delicate her ankles looked and wondered how such a seemingly weak girl had handled the events of the night so well.
"Thank-you." The girl's voice pulled Sasuke from his musings and he looked up at her.
"What is your name?"
"Sakura."
"Then, it is no problem, Sakura. Anything to annoy Gaara."
Sakura smiled widely at him and Sasuke lowered his eyes back to his task.
"In the palace," Sakura whispered. "You said that you might consider taking on a new crew member. Do you have room on your ship?"
Sasuke knotted off his work and stood up straight. "I don't think you understand what type of ship I run, Sakura."
Sakura stood up too, only reaching Sasuke's shoulder and craning her head back to look him in the eye. "Pirates? Thieves? Selective merchants? Whatever way you say it, I know, and I don't care. You seem like a good man."
"You would base that on knowing me for less than a day?"
Sakura narrowed her eyes challengingly. "I base my decision on your actions. I would like to come with you."
Sasuke huffed in an attempt to disguise how confused he was by this woman. "Annoying. Well I won't stop you, but you're going to have to learn how to fight. Your skill with a sword is terrible."
Sakura actually looked affronted for a moment before smiling slyly. "Fine by me, I was sick of dancing anyway."
With that the pink-haired girl moved away from Sasuke and towards the awaiting crew members, leaving a blinking Uchiha in her wake.
'What a ridiculously odd creature,' Sasuke mused, watching the petite woman begin talking to Naruto and the other men without a care in the world. She was short, she looked breakable, she had pink hair and she was gaining a lot of attention in the skimpy outfit she was still wearing, but...
… she was special.
I think I may expand this in to a full story at some point, I had a lot of fun writing it :)
Please forgive typos/mistakes, I'll edit at a later point in time.