Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
A/N: My first attempt at a multific. Please read and review, and I will continue if there is enough interest. Thank you everybody and I hope you enjoy this!
New born cries fill the room and Uchiha Fugaku hastily wipes the lone tear that makes its way down his cheeks. His dark, onyx eyes turn from Mikoto to his new son, and when he speaks, he finds that his voice is unusually soft. "Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke," he tests. "He's beautiful."
Mikoto smiles brightly at him despite her exhaustion, tears streaming down her face as the handmaiden gently places Sasuke on her bare chest. As she holds him for the first time, all the pain of just moments before begin to melt away. His tiny fingers curl around her pinky, and Mikoto swears to protect his vulnerability with her life.
Later that evening, Konoha celebrates the birth of Uchiha Sasuke, second prince in line for the throne.
…
His wild silver hair whips behind him as he swims, his powerful, green tail propelling him through the ocean. Uchiha Mikoto had given birth to a second son. He frowns, already anticipating his king's reaction to the news.
The Uchiha clan were the rulers of Konoha, the kingdom surrounded by the rocky cliffs of the Southern Seas and the beautiful, ancient foliage of the Forbidden Forests. All merpeople were brought up with tales of the Uchiha men's rites of passage. Once they turned 25, they took to the seas to hunt for mermen, never returning to their home without one. There was no pride for those who returned empty handed.
Merfolk, especially mermen, were always portrayed by humans to be violent and aggressive, causing storms and sinking ships and drowning sailors, keeping their souls trapped in the bottom of the sea. They were also said to kidnap young human women and carry them away to live a life of slavery in the sea. Mermaids, on the other hand, were portrayed as beautiful creatures with enchanting voices and vicious personalities who lured sailors to their deaths.
Kakashi shook his head and sighed deeply. Contrary to popular belief, only the Haruno clan, descendants of the god and goddess of the sea, had the power to control it. The merpeople lived in a kingdom made of gold and shells and pearls in the depths of the ocean, the authority to leave its safety only granted to a select few of the king's most trusted, and Kakashi was one of them.
Uchiha Fugaku was the last Uchiha who returned to Konoha with a merman in tow, and in twenty years' time, his first born, Uchiha Itachi, would take to the seas and follow in his footsteps, and Kakashi knew he would be successful. Just as he had no doubt that Uchiha Sasuke would also live up to the Uchiha name.
…
Itachi smirked. The chaos that surrounded him was definitely created by the mermaid that lay in the steel enforced tank in his cabin. The wind was screaming and torrential rain poured down on them in icy sheets, merciless and unforgiving. Thunder pierced through the stillness of the night and lightning forked through the clouds and lit up the night sky. Colossal waves thrashed the hull and rocked the deck, bringing the ship up with it and back down again in a cascade of wood and water, each time more heart stopping than the last.
This storm was different. There was an ill sense of foreboding, anger and hatred in the waves and his crew was dripping with terror as they ran around the ship trying to keep up with his commands.
The ship creaked dangerously and he could almost hear the song of the mermaids promising his death. Itachi found it in himself to grin. He had never responded well to threats and he had always loved a challenge. The more brutal the storm became, the calmer his heart became. His eyes stung from the biting wind and his lungs burned from the salty spray of the sea, but he was an Uchiha, and so he would do as his father had taught him. He would embrace the storm, he would man his ship like a captain was supposed to and he would return to Konoha, with his mermaid and crew in tow, and he would take glory in his success as an Uchiha.
…
Beautiful smudges of coral, lavender, turquoise and a fiery orange blended together to create a sunset so mesmerising she couldn't look away. The ocean that was her home was still, its surface barely a placid ripple, waves rolling in lazy arcs around them, breaking the reflection of the setting sun into a mosaic of reflected colours.
Katsuyu was the first to break the silence.
"It's time to go, Sakura-sama."
"Just a little longer, Katsuyu. Please."
…
He leaned against the railing, smirking boyishly as he removed the binoculars from his dark eyes, every part of him lean, corded muscle. Her pastel pink hair blended in entirely with the sunset and its reflection on the ocean, and if he had not seen the shimmering gold that was her tail he would have missed her completely. He tightened the red bandana on his head, fingers tingling and his very core thrumming with excitement. He would not fail this test.
He lowered himself on the boat and made his way out to her alone, his crew strictly instructed to stay where they were. If he was going to take the life of another, he would do it on his own terms.
"Sakura-sama. We must go now." Katsuyu was nervous, she could see him making his way to them, arms flexing and glinting in the waning sun as he rowed his boat. He was an Uchiha, she was sure of it. Her heart pounded in her chest when Sakura caught sight of him, and her suspicions were proven correct when she caught a glimpse of the uchiwa fan on his boat. "Sakura-sama. Now. We need to leave. Now." Sakura's eyes widened with curiosity, and she ignored Katsuyu's increasing cries as she swam cautiously toward the man and his boat.
This man did not look like the photo her father had painted for her as a child, there were no empty eye sockets or messy dreadlocks and lopsided grins. His eyes were dark, smouldering and intense, his hair just as dark as his eyes, falling jaggedly over his face. His cheekbones were high, his nose was tall and aristocratic, and his jaw chiselled.
He came to a stop and allowed her to approach him in her own time. She hesitantly placed her hands on the sides of his boat, pulling her body up to get a closer look at him. Her tail swished back and forth behind her, creating gentle swells in the previously still waters. For the first time since he embarked on this journey, Sasuke hesitated. This mermaid was beautiful. Her wide, emerald green eyes glowed, her cheekbones high and her jaw sharp. Her lips were full and pink and the lavender diamond on her forehead fascinated him. Her long, damp pink hair hung around her face and spread around her in the water and her skin glowed. Her golden tail shone even more brilliantly up close and Sasuke had to tear his eyes away from her chest, barely covered by intricately placed red shells. She was petite, far smaller than the mermaid his brother had brought back five years ago. Alluringly, she would blink her eyes from time to time, allowing her eyelashes to flutter and brush against her cheekbones.
He leaned down towards her, and when she didn't shy away he slowly cupped her cheek with his right hand, silently marvelling at the smoothness of her skin. Sasuke leaned down towards her and brought his lips to her ear, smirking when he felt her shiver and squirm uncomfortably. When he spoke, his voice was husky. "What's your name?"
His lips grazed her ear and he could feel the heat radiating off her face. He smirked. "Sa…Sakura. Haruno Sakura." There was a shyness to her, hesitation in her movements and a softness in her voice.
"Tell me, Sakura. Have you ever been with a man before?"