Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto, nor do I own any of the characters at the moment, so please don't sue!
Summary: She was simple, a herbist from the Tea Country. He was different, he was Akatsuki. This is the tale how a roseate haired villager and a blonde ninja cross paths. AU DeiSaku
Chapter 1
Cha no Kuni, the land of tea, though small, remained a peaceful place. On this two island community, life was simple for all even though the gap between the rich and poor was steadily growing. The workers would rise every morning at dawn in a hopes to finish the day's work early. The wealthy youth pampered themselves, indulging in all the priveleges that the sales of medicinal herbs and tea brought. This simple life was where the young Haruno Sakura found herself, safe and secure. Though Cha no Kuni had no hidden ninja village, it was home to some of the best medics of the time. At twelve, Sakura began her medical training with one of the village heads, Tsunade, the greatest medical nin of the era. Even though one of the only ninjas in the village was Tsunade, she deemed it necessary that she teach her pupils both the art of medicine and the ways of the ninja. Yamanaka Ino and Hyuuga Hinata both trained under the same mentor, and the trio quickly became good friends. Word of the trio's medical skills spread steadfastly, and soon they became one of the best medics in Cha no Kuni.
What was thought to be a happy existance in Tea Country for Sakura, soon changed. As time passed, this peaceful land went into a state of turmoil. Demand for medicinal herbs was increasing rapidly due to the many wars and disputes between the hidden villages. Cha no Kuni, being the unprotected land it was, could never refuse the neighboring villages for fear that they would be attacked next. With the raising demand, little was left for the inhabitants of the islands, and the number of medics began to deteriorate as people began to pick up and leave. The medics who were good enough, left the village and into hiding to find better places for their families. Sadly, one of these medics was Tsunade. Two years after Sakura began her training, a lock-down was held as to prevent any more medics from leaving, thus Ino, Hinata and Sakura were trapped withing the country.
The lock down proved to be more of a limiting factor than a benefit to the village. Commoners were forced to work more hours because they could not leave the village to aquire more exotic herbs, the lord of the country could not risk the chance of losing any more of his people. After an excruciating two years of being trapped in Cha no Kuni, the lord of the country was assassinated and he left his eldest son, who was no older than fifteen, in charge. Sakura, being the top medic of the village, was deeply trusted by the lord's family, one of the select few who was preffered in this time of chaos. The need of fresh herbs was needed greatly now. The fifteen year old lord, seeing the need to appeal to the people, knew that he had to do something so that all the citizens would not revolt against him during his time of weakness and vulnerability. A group of trusted, able-bodied citizens had to be chosen quickly so that the new order of medicines could be sent. Sakura jumped at this opportunity, a chance to escape, a chance to leave a village that was falling towards corruption.
Little sunlight shone through the thick mass of clouds hovering throughout the sky. A petite figure slowly made its way down the empty streets, the hood of its heavy coat obscured half of the pale face. The figure stopped mid-step. A small, yet clear drop had fallen from the melancholy sky on the female's index finger. It slowly trailed down to the end of the nail and eventually dropped to the earth. More of the clear liquid drops fell from the clouds as the cloaked figure quickened its pace, eventuallly arriving at the large rusty gates found at the entrance to the village. Two more cloaked figures stood at the front of the gates, sheltering themselves under the ancient tree that wound itself around the rusting metal. The two stood, drenched in rainwater, waiting for their companion. Worn, brown, leather bags adorned their shoulders, heavy with supplies for the long journy the three would take to harvest medicinal herbs. Faint smiles appeared on the two new faces, brightening their features, as they saw their emerald-eyed comrade.
"Sakura-chan", one of the cloaked figured whispered in greeting. Her voice was soft as to not disturb the peace of the light rainwater falling from the moistened leaves of the tree they stood under. The loose hood on the figure who had spoken dropped, revealing a timid and frail looking girl with dark hair that stretched down to her elbows. Her pale, violet eyes looked up to the new arrival.
The second figure smirked as she dropped her hood, light blonde tresses flowing past her shoulders. "Forehead." the second figure greeted in good humor, lightly poking the center of Sakura's forehead. The second hooded figure's blue eyes seemed to lighten up considerably when she laid eyes on the arriving girl.
The third figure removed her hood as well, revealing roseate locks of hair. "Hinata-chan". Sakura giggled as she replied to the second figure "Ino-pig."
"Sakura-chan, did you bring the map?" Ino questioned.
She nodded in confirmation. "Yeah. . ." A look of nervousness and doubt passed across each of the faces of the teenagers. A moment of awkward silence passed the three of them, the tension in the air was thick. Hinata raised her eyes from the spot they had been glued to on the ground. She arched her neck allowing her hair to fall back. Small droplets of water hit her cream skin from the damp leaves.
"Do you think. . . I mean, that is, will we get away with this? Will we be safe?"
"Well we can't start doubting ourselves now. Once we leave this godforsaken place we'll be fine. . . I promise" Ino said softly, in a confident yet comforting tone.
"Yeah, Ino is right. We'll be fine, besides, I'm sure otherr villages won't mind our staying considering our skills in medicine." Sakura's words seemed to quel their fears for the time being.
"Mmhmm. . ." Hinata mumbled in agreement. "I doubt the lord will notice our treason--" She said slowly with slight uncertainty until she was cut off by Ino's voice.
"Yeah! And even if he does, we'll be long gone by the time he even notices" A confident smirk was plastered upon her face.
The loud bellowing of a horn was heard over the patter of the heavying rain. The wind seemed to blow even harder as the figures adjusted the bags on their backs and tightened their grips on their damp coats. The trio nodded at one another as they made their way in small strides to the dock, a worn, wooden ship awaiting them. They boarded the ship in silence, the captain gave them questioning looks as to why three young girls would be leaving the safety of Cha no Kuni, but made no move to ask, let alone speak. A frown seemed to be permanently etched on his wrinkly face.
It would be a long trip for the few on the trip. Only the captain and few sailors accompanied them with a grand total of nine people aboard the sailboat. The trio of herbalists silently stepped down creaking stairs and entered the small area abourd the ship that was seemingly indoors. Dust flew up into the air with the sudden movement of the teenagers. The scent was overpowering, Hinata brought her hand to her mouth, coughing slightly. Ino and Sakura followed her example and covered their own faces. Cautiously, they set their bags down on the wooden floor. Sakura took her free hand and warily swept it across one of the empty seats, more dust moving around in the air. Seeing how Ino and Hinata had already seated themselves, Sakura did so as well.
Ino looked around at the small room that she was sitting in with distaste. Had it truly been so long since ships were used because of the lock-down? Subconsciously, she moved her pale fingers towards her wrist, fingering the navy hair tie. She slipped it off of her slender wrists and pulled her long blonde locks into a high ponytail, some of her bangs hanging in her face.
Sakura was rummaging through her small sac, searching for her map showing the main villages and countries they would need to go through for their "mission". The three all seemed lost in their own thoughts until the sound of loud steps and a grumbly voice broke their silent reverie.
"We set sail by the end of the hour. Have your plan ready half an hour before we leave." The old sailor looked down at the three girls with complete disrespect. It could be inferred that the lord had probably threatened the weary sailor to take the girls to any location for their important mission. The sailor returned upstairs to the deck no sooner than he had entered.
Sakura, finally finding the parchment with the map, sighed in relief.
"All right, here's the map." Hinata and Ino crowded around the map as it was spread across the floor by Sakura. She continued to speak as she pointed to different areas on the map.
"Right now we are currently closest to Mizu no Kuni, the land of water. This may be a safe choice because we know it keeps out of most political affairs. . " she mused.
Ino then cut in saying "Well, it may not be so safe, I mean, look at how close we are to it! If we decide to go there first, it will be easier for the lord to catch us. . . plus, I hear that the ninjas from Kirigakure are pretty ruthless."
"I agree with Ino" Hinata stated timidly. "It may be in our best interest to get to the mainland first. Once we're there, we can figure out if the lord is going to send out anyone to search for us. If he does, it will be easier to evade them on the main land since they might have complete control over the waters."
Sakura nodded her head solemnly, "Then our two closest choices on the mainland would be Kaminari no Kuni, the land of Lightning, and Hi no Kuni, the land of fire..."
A moment passed in silence, each medic lost in their own thoughts. It would be a tough decision.
"Wait a minute. . ." Ino started suddenly "We are still going to collect data for medicinal herbs, right?
"Yes, of course" Sakura said with ease.
"And we are still going to get samples and stuff as it says in the mission?"
"Yes" Hinata confirmed, catching on to what Ino was saying.
"Well then, " Ino continued, "Even if they do catch us, we can just say that we found even more information a rare herbs in whichever land we choose to go to!"
"Yeah! So, any objections to starting out in Kaminari no Kuni? I mean, if we start out there, we can loop around the entire country collecting data, then we can pass through Ta no Kuni, the land of rice fields---" Sakura was cut of by the cheerful voice of Hinata.
"Then after we go through Ta no Kuni we can go through Taki no Kuni, the land of the waterfall! I hear they have some of the most exotic plants there. . ."
"Once were in Taki no Kuni, we'll be bordering both Tsuchi no Kuni, the land of earth, and Kusa no Kuni, the land of grass. We should go to both for the sake of data, but probably Kusa no Kuni first, it is probably richer in flora." mused Sakura.
The loud knocking of the captain on the old door interrupted their conversation. He burst into the room, still looking as infuriated as he was when they first saw him. In his unique scruffy voice, the white haired captain asked for the route that he would be taking. Sakura made a move to hand him the map, the path they would be taking already lightly outlined in pencil, but the stubborn captain merely looked over it lightly and nodded. He shoved the ancient-looking paper back into Sakura's hands and tromped back up the stairs.
"Wow. . . I wonder who shoved a stick up his ass. . ." Ino muttered.
"Ino!" Hinata playfullly scolded her by knocking her head a couple of times, knowing that the captain was not within hearing range.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Ino scoweled. "That really hurt!"
Sakura snickered at the childish antics of her longtime friends before joining in teasing Ino.
The soft sound of rain hitting the old, wooden, sailboat and the light crashing of the waves sounded in the background as the boat slowly made its way through dark waves, the sail seemingly blowing around uselessly in the harsh winds.
A soft wind rustled throught the greenery of Kusa no Kuni, the land of grass. Small varieties of wildflowers grew scattered in a clearing, giving off an odor of pure sugary sweetness, a scent that can only be found in this country. Beyond the small clearing ivy and moss covered trees swayed in the wind.
Deidara smirked as he looked down at the scene before him. His blond hair fell into the left side of his face, obscuring one of his deep blue eyes. The long, golden locks were neatly tied in a high ponytail. His smirk was invisible behind his cloak collar that covered his mouth, but his eyes betrayed his emotion. The robe that adorned him was long and ebony colored fabric decorated with crimson clouds and trim. He lazily sat upon a great branch of an ancient oak tree, leaning against the trunk, arms crossed. This small moment of peace did not last long though as he lifted his hand. A mouth that seemed to appear out of no where found itself in the middle of his palm. A small bird looking seemingly delicate and in place with the flowery environment flew out from from the pointy teeth. Delicately, it barely landed on the ground . . .
A deafening explosion uprooted the wildflowers and sent dirt flying everywhere. Deidara snickered as he watched the pieces of gravel fall uselessly to the ground. He let out an audible sigh as he looked fondly at the destruction he had caused.
"Art is a bang yeah!" The blonde continued to snicker.
"Your voice is annoying, stop talking." Another figure approached sporting the same raven and crimson robe. The young male looked up to the blonde in the tree with emotionless green eyes, his short reddish hair swayed slightly in the wind. The green orbs followed Deidara as he jumped down gracefully from the tree, robe sweeping behind him.
"Aww, but Sasori no Danna, yeah, wasn't that great art, yeah?" Deidara said hopefully.
A smirk found its way upon Sasori's face. "Art? You call that art?" in a partonizing tone he continued "Tell me Deidara, how long did this place last?"
Deidara returned the smirk and did not answer straight away, knowing well where this playful argument was headed. Neither of the two men continued the conversation, but rather sat upon the rubble, leaning against the same oak tree in a comfortable silence.
"Leader wants me to report to him, he may have another mission" Sasori said after a while. "Behave yourself, I may be gone for some time. Meet me at the border of Taki no Kuni"
"Heh, you know I will, yeah" Deidara grinned mischievously as Sasori seemed to disappear into thin air.
The storm had become more rigorous than expected, waves came crashing over the deck of the boat. The sailors were all running around frantically. Some were attempting to get rid of the water that continued to pour in, others were trying to untangle the ripped sails. The frown on the captain deepened as he screamed orders to the sailors. Hearing the confusion on the deck, Hinata, Ino and Sakura began to panick. They rushed upstairs, nearly falling because the boat rocked dangerously to the side. They clutched the door in an attempts to stop from falling.
The captain turned towards the three. He was drenched and for a flicker of a moment looked as though concern was etched on his frowning face. "Quick! Gather your belongings" He hollered over the roaring of the wind. "Hi no Kuni is close! Can you swim there?"
The ship had another rocking shake as more water poured in. Some spilled down the stairs into the lower room of the sailboat. Sakura nodded hastily and wasted no time in scurrying down the stairs to gather their supplies and map. Ino and Hinata remained on the deck. Hinata's eyes squinted in concentration as she attempted to see through the mist and fog for land.
"There it is!" Hinata's naturally quiet voice had to strain in order to be heard over the crashing of waves and rain.
"Where? I don't see it!" Ino hollered back. She turned her head, wet hair sticking to her face, towards Sakura.
As Sakura shoved the now damp bags into Ino's and Hinata's arms the captain yelled at them. "Hurry up! We'll take care of the ship, just go!"
Hinata turned once again from the sailor to her friends, "All right, do you remember when Tsunade-sama told us to mold chakra into our feet?"
"Yes!" Sakura yelled hoarsely.
"We'll have to do that! It will help us walk on the water!"
"All right, let's go!" Ino snapped, not wanting to get trapped on the sinking ship.
The three leapt from the ship, landing somewhat clumsily on the water. Their cloaks clung to them as more water was rained upon them. A sound came to Sakura's senses. It was strange, like water being moved at a rapid pace. . .
"Sakura RUN!!!" Ino's voice screeched over the loud roaring noises. Behind her, the ship was tipping, and this time it appeared as though it would fall over completely. Pure adrenaline rushed through their bodies as they ran in an attempts to escape from the old wooden ship. With incredible chakra and adrenaline induced speed, the girls sprinted to the coast of Hi no Kuni.
The ship was not so lucky, as screams could be heard as it was swallowed into watery depths.
A/N: Hey everybody, I am sorry if the characters are OOC. . . please help me to make it better! Constructive criticism is welcome! By the way, I wrote this on wordpad so I'm sorry if some of the spelling is off. . . please let me know if something big or confusing catches your I so I can clarify and so I can make my story better! Thanks.
moi