50alternates
Title: Naruto Uzumaki and the Treasure of the Nine-Tailed Fox
Author/Artist: ohwhatsherface
Pairing: Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura
Fandom: Naruto
Theme: other world, #19 treasure
Word Count: 922
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the parallels to The Pirates of the Caribbean that may show up here.
…
…
"So what are you, exactly?" Naruto asked. He looked expectantly at the woman seated across from him while wiggling defiantly in the ropes that bound him. He frowned at the constriction and sent a glare at the bulky orange-haired pirate who had tied him up. Naruto's blue gaze returned to the woman and moved down to her right arm and the red marks along it. "How come the water burned you? That's never happened to you before…"
Sakura looked away from him and stared at the large ship they were approaching.
"This is different," she murmured, not wincing when the high waves of the stormy night sent sprinkles of water onto her, searing her porcelain skin. "This is seawater, not freshwater, Naruto."
She gave him an eerie smile.
"But if you must know my secret, then I will tell you that I am not exactly human."
Naruto frowned back at her and opened his mouth to retort but forgot his question when he observed his surroundings. The boat that he and Sakura had been hauled upon was large and great, with black sails and a crew of fearsome looking pirates. When his mother was still around, he remembered her nighttime stories of the ship with black sails and crew of the damned and a captain who was even worse.
His eyes drifted to Sakura as she glared straight ahead while ignoring the lustful leers the men were sending her way.
"What is this ship?" Naruto asked, not quite expecting her to give him an answer.
Sakura's eyes narrowed further as she replied, "It is—"
"The Kusanagi."
Naruto looked behind him and saw who he presumed to be the captain of the ship.
While he may have been shorter than some of the other crew members, and looked particularly lanky in a sense, he gave off an intimidating aura. His pale face was framed by ebony spikes that matched his dark eyes and equally dark clothing.
"Who are you?" Naruto questioned with a slight snarl. He had always been a defiant one. When he was still on his home island, he had always been getting in trouble for his outspokenness. The man spared him a glance before looking back at Sakura while speaking. Naruto, noticing he was being ignored, turned to Sakura in confusion. "Sakura?"
Her thin lips pulled into a bitter smirk and she glared at the stranger.
"Naruto," she drawled, stepping towards the pirate before her. "Meet the greatest traitor in history."
"It's Captain Sasuke Uchiha, actually," the pirate corrected apathetically.
He then smirked slightly and moved closer to Sakura. He met her eyes briefly before possessively bringing a hand to the back of her neck and snaking his fingers into her pink hair. He brought her head forward and pressed his lips against hers harshly in a cruel mockery of an intimate kiss. It wasn't so much a lustful action as it was a show of dominance.
Naruto looked away, disgusted. He wanted to lash out but knew Sakura would only chastise him for being defiant in what was clearly a bad situation.
"I should kill you where you stand," Sakura hissed through bruised lips when he finally let her pull away. She moved to slap him but the ropes around her wrists prevented her from doing so.
"Perhaps you should," he murmured.
Sasuke raised a hand and he visibly frowned when she flinched, assuming he was going to backhand her. He glared at her as he gently caressed her cheek, directing her to turn her head towards him. He stared into her green eyes and was painfully reminded of the land he was not allowed to step foot on.
As soon as the remembrance of the curse put upon them three years ago came to mind, Sasuke let go and looked away.
"Take the girl to my chambers," he ordered the large, bulky man who brought Naruto and Sakura on board. "And get rid of the boy. We have no use for him."
Naruto's eyes widened fearfully. "W—what?!"
The pirates were quick to grab Naruto and drag his unwilling form near the plank.
"I wouldn't kill him if I were you," Sakura said loudly, an authoritative air around her. She stared tauntingly at Sasuke.
"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow to humor her. "And why is that?"
"Tell me something, Sasuke." Sakura ripped away from the pirate who was trying to drag her away and stepped to Sasuke slowly, watching as his dark eyes roved over the body that at one time was his whenever he pleased. "Have you ever heard of the Treasure of the Nine-Tailed Fox?"
The men on the ship gasped loudly, whispering words of disbelief.
Sasuke glared at her suspiciously. "I have. I've also heard of its inexistence."
It was then that Sakura threw her head back and laughed while Naruto looked down shamefully.
"If that is what you think of it," she drawled, lips curling into a sneer, "then you are a fool."
His scowl darkened at the insult but he let it pass, opting to grab her upper arm roughly. "I've also heard that there is a certain nonexistent key needed to obtain it."
Sakura merely smiled deviously. "Oh, but Sasuke, it really does exist."
Sasuke slowly allowed his grip on her to loosen and his features to soften. He let out a small sigh and regarded her with a rather annoyed expression.
"You know where the key is."
She let out a small, smug huff.
"I know who the key is."
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