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Open Waters

The captain of the ship cast black eyes out at the deep solid blue of early morning waters. The sapphire skies above were hidden behind dull gray clouds that stretched far and touched the ocean on the horizon in all directions. A salty breeze blew black bangs into his aristocratic face. Waves crashed against the wooden hull of the ship, scraping it as they swam by. The sloshing sound they made on impact was extraordinarily familiar to the young captain as was the calm before the storm. Every aspect of the sea life was familiar, and he came to be familiarized with it since he was a babe. His father had been a prominent naval figure before coming to rest in Davy Jones' locker.

His brother too, had belonged to the Royal Navy, and when he was old enough, Uchiha Sasuke followed in their footsteps, a sort of family tradition. It was a shining achievement in the Uchiha household that brought prestige and honor to the family. His time in the navy gave him experience and skill and his parents were proud. However a series of events unfolded that ended his generation's period of prosperity, starting with the death of his father. It was common for navy men to die at sea, if not tragic. The body had never been recovered and with it went the luck of the Uchiha. While Itachi was sailing past Port Royal, the infamous pirate port, he had been impressed into service and then most likely killed. His mother hadn't been the same since their losses.

Instead of causing her more grief, Sasuke returned to shore to live a listless life after searching for his brother for two years. At least life had been listless until he reunited with the pink haired niece of the governor's wife, Haruno Sakura, a childhood friend. She was a feisty one, dressed like a lady, fought like a man. Her green eyes were bright and contained something fierce. She was different and she bewitched him, lured him in with that fire and spunk and he fell, hard. Like the sea, the nymph Calypso, her moods changed in an instant and she could never be tamed and many thought she was too wild for the high lifestyle she was raised in. But like the sea, she wasn't fickle and could be counted on. Their courtship barely extended a year, but they knew the other well, and they married.

. Which brought the captain back to where he was, in the middle of the ocean, far from where he and Sakura chose to remain, a place he could never go back to. He felt a small hand on his shoulder, and turned his head, a small indication of recognition. Sakura looked up at him, a solemn smile on her face, her stomach swollen. She had followed him, refusing to return home with honor after Sasuke had been forced to become pirate to rescue her from other buccaneers. A life without him was as good as death.

"You know you can return home Sasuke," she spoke quietly, green eyes soft. "Your mother would understand."

"Understand that I killed my brother in cold-blooded revenge, blinded by the ignorant idea that he willingly joined the Akatsuki's crew? I killed him even after he protected you from the others." There was a dull sound resonating in his voice, a physical clue into his guilt. Sakura frowned and pressed herself closer to him, grasping his hand.

"He wanted you to kill him. He knew he would be killed as soon as he stepped onto land, his crimes were unforgivable." She explained, her soprano voice clear and strong.

"And what makes you think mine are forgivable?"

"You commandeered a ship to save the one you love." He paused and frowned, gazing back out into the familiarly unknown ocean. He had accepted the possibility of Itachi being dead by the time he was seventeen and back on land. It only made him feel worse that he had given up finding his brother when Itachi was fine and wanting to escape. "You've committed no real crime other than killing a couple notorious pirates."

"If he was so notorious, how come I had no idea he was alive?" Sakura frowned then, and promptly smacked him on the back of the head. He gave her an incredulous look, his pride taking the harder blow. Sakura had withdrawn from his side and placed her hands on her hips, viridian eyes narrowed, the flame he always adored growing into fury.

"People have barely heard of that Captain Sparrow, but he's just an infamous!" She sighed, allowing her bent arms to fall to her sides. "Honestly. If you want to go home then go home. I'll be with you. And if you find you like the life of a pirate, then we'll stay aboard. Just don't mope about what has happened and try to find some land. I'll need a midwife when the time comes and Karin isn't certified when it comes to babies." She smiled again then, placing a hand on her stomach lovingly. Sasuke returned the look and placed his own hand over hers.

"Of course." A fear suddenly drew over him like a blanket. A pirate's life was no place for a baby.

~x-x-x~

Maybe…maybe this will be the start of a drabble/short one-shot series…And this is just word barf, what can I say I was in a pirate mood! It's sort of confusing; I know…I'm sorry. And I couldn't help putting as blatant an allusion as I did to a certain pirate…what can I say…It's the fan girl in me…Review if you like