Pirates of Konohagakure
Me: Geez! I am horrible with updates!
Kakashi: Damn right you are.
Me: Shut up and look pretty. This chapter puts some shit on Iruka this time.
Kakashi: Really?!
Iruka: -_- yes Kakashi. Sound happy that our insane author is going to do something bad to me.
Me: Yeah. I could make Mizuki kill him.
Kakashi: YOU WOULDN'T!
Gai: SHE WOULD! WE STILL HAVE NO WORD ON LEE!
Me: I swear I told everyone that he was going to live…
Iruka: But we never got word on him again after that.
Me: *twiddling thumbs* well…anyways, last chapter was weird to say the least, but Mira finally met her brother and found out why he was missing for so long! Does this mean that the Sirens have gained two more recruits?
…
I'M NOT SURE YET!
Me: But anyways, Mizuki was somehow kept alive even after suffering a horrible and grievous wound. And he went to get his revenge. Itachi's touksa blade (yes which has a direct correlation to the real thing in the anime) should have purified him, but he came back for another blow. Charybdis indeed spat them out, but Kakashi has caught sight of them and Mizuki pulled Iruka over. Now, will Iruka survive, or will Mizuki get his revenge (hah. Pun on the saga) on Iruka?
THE ANSWER COMES NOW!
Disclaimer: All respective characters and characterizations go to their correct owners. This is a non-profit fanfiction for enjoyment purposes only.
Chapter 11: Taken Captive.
~Previously on Pirates of Konohagakure~
"Captain, do you see that?" Sakura asked, pointing to a large whirlpool beginning to form. "A whirlpool, here? At this time?"
"That is strange," Kakashi murmured, rubbing his chin. "Very strange. Tell Sasuke to stop the ship. We aren't sailing towards that. We'll have to go around it."
"Yes Cap'n," Sakura nodded and ran off.
Kakashi looked back at the whirlpool. Shark Bay Pass was home to them, but not around this time. The sharks weren't even going on a frenzy. That was odd. Very odd. Could Poseidon be halting their progress to help them? To ward them off of danger maybe? Or was it a different reason all together?
"Captain!" Someone shouted. "Look!"
Kakashi looked, seeing a huge plume of water rising into the air. The excess currents began to rock the ship, making him stumble. "What the-"
Then he saw it. It was hard to see since it was encased in the water, but it was there.
A ship.
More specifically, the exact ship he was looking for.
"The Sirens," Kakashi breathed.
~Sirens~
Iruka slowly peeked open an eye. "Sirens?"
"Captain," they all called.
"Femme Fatals?"
"Umino sir," they replied.
"Is everyone alright?" Iruka stood slowly. "Are we all still here?"
"Why of course Iruka," a sickening voice purred. "Even me."
Iruka turned, eyes widening in horror. He should have held on. He should have kept his head down, his eyes closed. His ship was in the air. The plume of water had sent them soaring.
And Mizuki had grabbed hold of his arm and yanked.
~And Now~
Iruka's body flew off the ship, Mizuki's horrible laughter echoing in his ears. The sensation of flying was something he always wanted to experience, but not like this. He never imagined that something like this would ever happen to him. Being pulled off his ships, miles above the ocean…no matter what happened, there was no way for him to survive this. Anything that happened here and now, would be the last thing he experienced. It was funny. Maybe this was Poseidon punishing him for all the bad things he did.
"CAPTAIN!" Anko screamed, still holding on to the railing. She wanted to help him, but the ship had already begun to plummet back down towards the water. If she let go, they would both die.
"No…oh gods no," Yugao whispered.
"Not like this." Temari shook her head frantically. "This can't be happening."
Mira narrowed her eyes. "It isn't happening. I won't let it happen."
Kisame saw the determination in Mira's eyes. "Mira, wait. You can't-"
Mira ignored him, sprinting to the edge of the ship and scrambling onto the railing. She pushed off with all the strength in her legs and shot towards Iruka. She wasn't about to let the man that had done much for her and her crew die because of some bastard. Iruka had saved them before, and it was only right that they return the favor.
His body was getting closer and closer. A few more inches and her fingertips could touch his back. Mizuki was still holding him, but the other man must have been dead by now. His laughter faded out after a while and his body was uselessly plummeting to the ocean. The only thing that stayed true was the grip he had on Iruka. With his dying breath and the last of his strength, he had kept Iruka within his grasp so that they would both be buried beneath the sea.
"Gotcha!" Mira cheered triumphantly, hooking her arm around his waist.
"Wha-Mira?!" Iruka exclaimed. "What are you doing here?!"
"Saving you," Mira answered, shifting so that she had Iruka on her back.
"You can't possibly-"
"I'm a Hoskigaki. Great swimmer, can hold my breath for extended periods of time, and when the adrenaline hits me, I'm practically invincible," Mira explained. Mizuki was still dead weight, his grip still iron-locked around Iruka, so Mira struggled to get him off of her as the ocean came closer and closer. They only had seconds before they would hit, and because of how high up there were, they were about to hit hard.
"Damn rat-Hah! Got it!" Mira kicked Mizuki away from them and closed her eyes. Impact was imminent.
~White Fang~
"AHHH!" Sakura screamed, seeing a dead body fall from the sky and crash to the deck. On impact, it seemed like it exploded, his body parts going everywhere. His arm went one place, his legs another. His open chest cavity spewed blood over everyone on deck, which caused screams and shrieks of terror out of almost everyone.
"Gross," Genma muttered, his honey hair tainted a darker shade of red due to blood. "The hell happened to him?"
"He has a large slash wound down the front of his chest, deep enough to split him open, yet shallow enough to avoid hitting his heart. However, there was something that caused it to explode, and some other trauma before he died," Shino observed. "But look at his shoulder. There's a rumor that all the Sirens get the mark tattooed somewhere, and his is on his bicep."
At hearing that, Kakashi quickly came over and examined what was left of the body. Sure enough, the Siren mark was there, in a blue shade of ink. It was large enough that it covered the top half of his arm and part of his shoulder. That was the only thing that was truly recognizable. Other than that, his body was a mess. Only someone sick would have done something so horrible to him. But did the Sirens do this? "Did they kill one of their own?" He wondered aloud.
"That can only be what it is," Asuma said. "As far as we know, they're ruthless enough to do whatever it takes to get what they want."
"But what could he have done to warrant something like this?" Sakura asked.
"Does it matter?" Kiba asked, looking around. "I mean, really? We've seen what they can do. We've seen what they've tried to do. And all of it has been bad to us. We're the enemy and it seems like we were let off easy. But him?" He gestured to Mizuki's corpse. "He was their friend and look at him. It only proves that they only care about themselves and what they want. Maybe he was holding them back and they decided they had no use for him. So they killed him. We need to get rid of them and soon."
"Kiba's right," Sasuke agreed. "With Naruto missing, we know that he was the spy this whole time. And now that we have sighting of where they are, this is our chance. Poseidon gave us this moment to finally get rid of them."
"And we'd be fools not to take it," Kakashi agreed. "Tell Kotetsu full speed ahead. We need to get to that ship."
~Blue Thrasher~
"We're about to hit the water!" Gaara called.
"Brace for impact!" Kankuro shouted.
The ship hit the water with a harsh impact, nearly tearing it apart. The bottom of the ship took the worst of it, most of the boards of it beginning to come apart, and the ship taking in water. It wasn't enough to completely sink it, but water was steadily pouring in. Eventually, they would sink. The sides dented in, the ship surprisingly hitting the water surprisingly flat. The mast took the worst, completely snapping off and taking the sails with them. Water crashed against the side of the ship, and swamped over the railing, nearly taking everyone off with it. But instead, it was carrying someone with it.
"Is everyone alright?!" Kankuro called, coughing up some water. "Are we all still alive?!"
"Maybe," Danieru mumbled, grasping her stomach and standing on shaky legs. "I think I'm alive."
"I'M DYING!" Abbey shouted, leaning heavily on Danieru, much to the other's dismay.
"Get off," Danieru mumbled, shoving her off. Bisuke ran up to Danieru and began licking at her legs. Danieru leaned down and pet his head. "Were you on the ship this whole time?"
"I think we're all okay," Izumo said, helping Raidou to stand up. "Yugao? Hayate? Anko? Choji?"
"Good," Anko called.
"We're alright," Hayate coughed, Yugao nodding in consent.
"We're alright as well," Hinata said from her position in Temari's arms.
"And me," Choji called.
"Kurenai? Neji?"
"We survived," Neji breathed.
"I'm fine," Kurenai said as she shook out her wet hair. "What about Toshiro and her crew?"
"We're fine as well. All of us," Toshiro said. "However, Mira…"
"She's fine," Kisame laughed. "She's a Hoshigaki. The water is our specialty."
"…Kisame's right," Itachi agreed. "She'll be fine, and so will your captain if he's in Mira's care."
"That's good," Kankuro murmured.
"OW!" Someone exclaimed, making them all turn.
"Naruto?!"
Said blonde sat on his butt, rubbing his head. "Damn it! I hit the ship too hard!"
"What the heck are you doing here?!" Danieru shouted, kicking him in the head. "Did you leave?!"
"I had to!" Naruto protested, holding his hurt head. "They knew someone was a spy and there were doing a big hunt and everything! And Queen Boobies-"
"I knew I wasn't the only one who called her that!" Kankuro grinned.
"Told Captain Hatake who the Siren captain was! They're on their way here as we speak!"
"WHAT?!" was the collective shout.
"Damn it, and captain isn't here," Temari growled.
"I can already see them," Neji murmured, pointing at a shape that was rapidly closing in on them. "What do we do?"
"The ship can't sail," Kurenai said. "We can't outrun them."
"Nor can we outswim them," Yugao agreed.
"Our masks!" Danieru shouted. "And the robes! As long as we have those on, we can conceal our identity, if only for a little bit."
"That's a good idea," Gaara agreed. "Quick! Raidou, you and Izumo get the robes and get Naruto a mask. If the White Fang gets here, we put up no struggle." Teal eyes shot to the ship that was getting closer. "We can't do much else."
~White Fang~
"Captain, their ship is too damaged to sail," Sasuke observed. "They refuse to flee as well."
"They must realize that they have no other option," Genma grinned, playing with his dagger. "Perfect. They can't do much more than stay put."
"We won't kill them," Kakashi said, getting groans of disappointment from the crew. "We interrogate them first-"
Ibiki chuckled darkly.
"And if we don't get what we want, then we take them to Queen Tsunade and Lord Jiraiya." 'I know you're there Iruka. And I'll finally know the truth.'
~Ocean~
Mira broke the surface of the water, shaking out her wet hair and hauling Iruka up with her. "We made it," she grinned breathlessly. "We really made it out of there alive."
"Mira," Iruka coughed. "You saved me."
"Perks of being a Hoshikgaki," Mira grinned, hauling him further up his back. "Amazing abilities in water."
"Thank you," Iruka smiled at her. "I would have died without you."
Mira began searching for the ship, swimming away from the way she was facing. Odds are that the ship was behind them, or maybe to the West. That was about the direction they had been going, but it was more than likely that it was just the opposite of where they were going.
"I can't believe I got us into this," Iruka murmured. "It was my fault this happened."
"You couldn't have known about any of this," Mira said softly. "Mizuki, Charybdis, none of it. It surprised us all. You didn't know, and there was nothing you could do."
"I could have just left the secret of what happened to my parents a secret."
"What about Gaara and his family? Would you have left that alone?"
"I didn't have to get their hopes up," Iruka said curtly. "If I had just left it all alone, maybe some of this could have been avoided."
Mira sighed. "Poseidon does things for a reason. Maybe this was for a good one, or maybe it was bad. Whatever it is, it happened."
"I guess you're right," Iruka agreed softly.
~White Fang~
"There they are," Kakashi whispered. "And they're just standing there. Waiting."
"Could it be a trap?" Sakura wondered.
"I doubt it. They don't look hostile in the slightest," Asuma observed, though his attention was drawn to one person in particular.
'That must be Shikamaru' Kakashi guessed. There was one thinner shape than the rest, obviously male, who was particularly close to the others. The only difference in this one was the mask, clearly aged, and the robe, also well past it's time. "Extend the plank," he commanded. "Genma, Kiba, Sasuke, Shino, Ibiki, and myself will go and round them up. Everyone else, stay on guard. Once we have them, put them in the dungeon and let Ibiki and myself do the talking."
"Yes Captain," the rest agreed.
Carefully, with all their weapons, Kakashi and the ones he agreed to take with him made their way across the plank and to the Sirens. They were all gathered on the deck of the ship, simply kneeling. They were hiding themselves in dark robes with the hoods pulled over, no weapons in sight. Kakashi mentally counted them, and counted a few too many. 'They must have done recruitment lately,' he guessed. "Where is your captain?"
There was no answer.
Genma pulled out his dagger and pointed it at the one closest to him. "Speak, else we'll get the answers our own way."
Still, there was no answer. Some bristled in anger, some tensed with defiance, but no one answered him.
"I have ways of making people talk," Ibiki said, cracking his knuckles. "We do this the easy way, or my way."
"Our captain is no longer with us," one of them said quietly.
"He's dead?" Kakashi asked, shocked. Iruka…was gone?
"I said he is no longer with us," the same one hissed again. "If he were dead, I would have said that he was dead."
The one beside him/her hit the person in the side, making him/her hiss.
"Playing me the fool won't help you," Kakashi hissed. "I'll ask again. Where is your captain? Where is he?!"
"Our captain is no longer with us," a different one said.
Kakashi sighed. They were getting nowhere. "Sasuke, search the ship, and be quick about it. The rest of you tie them up and take them to the dungeon."
There was a snarl from one of them. One that didn't sound human. He approached the one it originated from, who seemed to be struggling with something beneath their robes. There was a small growl, then more squirming. "You dare speak against me?"
There was another snarl from the person. Kakashi was sure he knew what it was. "Bisuke?"
Then there was silence. The person fiddling with his/her shirt stopped and stared straight ahead.
Kakashi yanked the person up by their robe. "Do you have my dog or don't you?"
Still, the person didn't react, simply turning his/her head away. Kakashi growled. "All of them. Tie them up and load them onto the ship. You have my permission to use more force than necessary if they resist."
There were affirmatives from all of his crew as they set to work bounding their prisoners so that they couldn't move. Kakashi couldn't believe his luck. He had actually captured the Sirens of the Sea, and they weren't protesting. In fact, they lied still throughout the process, only growling under their breath. Kakashi was equal parts surprised and apprehensive. This seemed all too easy, and his primary target was gone.
"Did your captain abandon ship when he knew he would be captured?" Kakashi asked to no one in particular.
"Our captain isn't a coward swayed by desire," a female voice hissed.
Kakashi glared. That voice was the same mouthy one he had heard before. "It'd be wise not to anger me," he commented as Sasuke turned up with nothing. He and the others all boarded the White Fang, leaving the Blue Thrasher to slowly begin its descent into the sea.
~White Fang~
"So," Kakashi said as he walked slowly in front of his prisoners. "I never thought this day would come. The day I finally reveal the Sirens of the Sea for who they really are. It's funny. You've eluded me for so long I didn't think this day would come. Even I, the Great Captain Hatake, doubted his own skills. Funny, isn't it?"
There was quiet laughter from his own crew, but the Sirens remained silent.
"Now, I'll give you a choice. Who wants to go first?"
There was a growl from someone in the middle, and then wiggling. The person's robe began to squirm and wriggle, hissing angrily, until Bisuke popped out and growled at him.
"Bisuke," Kakashi said, folding his arms. "Come back to your rightful master?"
Bisuke looked torn between submission and defiance. He shifted on his paws and looked around, as if waiting for someone to snatch him up. While loyal to Kakashi, it looked like he had also grown attached to the Sirens. So he stood on unconfident paws, low growls coming out of his mouth, as if Kakashi was the stranger.
No matter. He would soon know his master.
"You," Kakashi declared, pointing at the figure that Bisuke was with. "You go first." Kakashi grabbed the hood of the robe and yanked it back, revealing a porcelain mask shaped like that of an animal. A bird maybe? Kakashi didn't care; he slipped his fingers under the edge of the mask and ripped it off.
White eyes glared harshly at him, eyes that were startlingly familiar. The only difference was that this was a male with brown hair and a healing scar on his forehead that was partially covered by a dark blue ribbon. "Ah, you. I remember you. You were the insolent child you stole Bisuke form me in the first place, and the Siren we fought during our last battle. You know, battle scars tell stories. Too bad yours is more embarrassing than courageous."
He moved onto the next person, repeating the process. This time, he revealed a man with brown hair that was flattened by a black scarf. This one, he didn't recognize, but it was obvious that Kotetsu did.
"You!" Kotetsu hissed, stalking towards him. To Kakashi's surprise, the man didn't flinch as Kotetsu came forward; he merely watched and braced for hits.
When the first kick came, Kakashi stepped back to avoid the spittle that went flying. The second kick was slower than the first, but it looked like it did some damage. He only watched as Kotetsu took out his anger on the man, delivering harsh punches and kicks to the defenseless man. Bruises began to form, his lip began to spilt, and breath began to catch. Kotetsu was growing tired as he continued the beating and only stopped once the man lost consciousness.
"Izumo," one of the breathed softly. "I-I'm so sorry."
Kakashi quickly strode over to the voice and revealed this woman, one with purple hair who ignored him in favor of staring at 'Izumo's' fallen form. "Your lover?"
"My friend," she hissed. "And he didn't deserve it."
"Did he?!" Kotetsu shouted. "Do you know what it's like to have your heart torn from your chest?! Do you know what it's like to fall head over heels for someone and have them utterly destroy you?! Do you know what love at first sight is, and what it means to love someone?!"
"I DO!" She screamed back. "I know exactly how it feels! Izumo didn't even want that! Any of that! You were the one who threw his heart into turmoil and made him into a mess! Don't you dare talk about matters of the heart!"
"You-"
"Enough!" Kakashi roared. "Both of you be silent!"
"You aren't my captain," the woman hissed. "I'll never listen to your command. I'll scream and shout as much as I want, and you won't stop me."
"Your captain is dead. Therefore, I'm your master until we take you to Queen Tsundae."
"That big-breasted hag?" Another hissed. "Damn it! Haven't we seen the last of her?!"
Kakashi went straight over to that voice and unmasked the next Siren. This one, he knew specifically as well. "You're Iruka's…son, aren't you?" Of course, with all the lies Iruka told him, he knew that this couldn't have been true. But still, it was the only thing he knew how to call this one by. There was a name in the back o his mind, but he couldn't remember it.
"Yes. I am," Kankuro answered. "What's it to you?"
Kakashi noticed how his eyes flitted between Kakashi and another masked Siren. Interesting. Could that be Iruka, or maybe even Naruto, or their little rogue?
Kakashi was eager to find out, ripping the robe off and breaking the mask in his haste. Bored eyes stared back at him, eyes that were hauntingly familiar. "So there's our little rogue," Kakashi purred. "I was wondering when you'd finally come back home."
"I thought I was forever a traitor," Shikamaru shot back. "So what? Gonna kill me? Go ahead and try it."
Kakashi kicked him in the stomach harshly. Shikamaru coughed, jerking forward from the blow. Behind him, Kakashi heard Asuma gasp and footsteps, but Asuma wisely knew to stay back.
"We should kill you, by all accounts, however, it's better to keep you alive." He walked over towards where Kankuro was forced to kneel. "We can use you, as the Sirens use us. How easy would it be to get information out of them, if not by forcing them to watch as one of their own is tortured?"
"You wouldn't!" Kankuro snarled, struggling against his binds. "I won't let you hurt him!"
Kakashi smirked. That was exactly as he wanted. He moved on to the next Siren, ripping away their mask and robe. Blonde hair and blue eyes made themselves known, making Kakashi growl. "Our little spy," he hissed, gripping Naruto's jaw. "All this time…I raised you like a son. I promised your father that I would protect you, and you force my hand to harm you."
"My father already made another promise to protect me, and that was my brother. That's why I betrayed you. I wanted to make sure my brother was the best there was, so I forged a letter from my father and gave it to you, and then I joined your ranks in order to eliminate you. That's why the Sirens always evaded you. I always made sure they knew where they could and could not travel. Just to make sure that he was the best," Naruto snarled.
"You're a fool," Kakashi hissed. "A damned fool. I'd kill you, but I'll wait until I have your dear brother among us to do that. For now…" he went to the Siren next to Naruto, ripping away the materials that kept her features hidden. However, her (as he found she was indeed a female) head was down, teeth clenched.
Kakashi put a finger under her chin and lifted her face, though she fought valiantly to keep her head down. It was in vain as Kakashi forced her head up, and defiant teal eyes glared into his own. "Keep your hands off of me!"
Kakashi smacked her. "You're all fools. When the prey is captured by the predator, they should know better than to anger the hunter. It never ends well."
"…Sometimes, the hunted came become the hunter," she whispered.
Kakashi raised an eyebrow, but his eyes narrowed when she broke from her rope binds and threw a dagger. It sliced his cheek, but sailed harmlessly over his shoulder. She quickly slashed Naruto out and the two ran off. "AFTER THEM!" He roared.
Danieru kept her hand pressed to her wound as she ran. It wasn't open, thankfully, but it would open soon if she wasn't careful. But she ran as fast as her legs would carry her, hearing numerous Sharingan Pirates closing in on her, jaws snapping at her heels. She knocked over anything that would slow them down and briefly paused to push a cannon in their path. The heavy object should buy them some type of time. Once that was done, she ran as fast as she could. She had no idea where she was going really, but she had to go somewhere.
Naruto had sprinted after her, but they were quick to tackle him back down and restrain him. There were about four on top of him, all trying to hold him down. He fought and fought, but eventually, he was forced down and tied back up. "GET OUT OF HERE DANIERU!" He screamed as she disappeared.
She ducked into a door and dashed down a corridor, not caring where she was going. Anything in the hall that she could push down, she pushed, just to make their fight to get her even harder. To get her friends and family out, she'd need to find a way to trap them in. But how?
She turned down a hall and froze. "Akamaru," she whispered.
And there he was. The large white canine was looking at her oddly, probably trying to figure out two things: why she was here and how she got here.
"Easy now," she whispered with her hands up. "Easy boy."
Akamaru was torn between tensing for attack and simply letting her past. Danieru could use that to her advantage, but she didn't have time for that. She either had to make her move now or risk getting captured.
Taking a breath, she sprinted down the corridor, ducking past Akamaru and taking a sharp turn. There was only one door at the end of the hallway, so she was either trapped in the hall or she could find a way to make it into the room and navigate somewhere else. All ships had alternative passages in them, so she could find a way out if she needed to.
She slammed the door behind her and slid down until she was sitting on the floor. All the running and pushing things down exhausted her, and she had little time to catch her breath. If she couldn't figure out a way out of here, she was screwed.
"And who might you be?"
'Fuck!' Danieru was quick to pull her hood over her head, though she doubted it would help much now. She had probably been seen by now, the few seconds she wasted resting dooming her. And she didn't have a weapon on her, nor could she find one in her immediate area. She was trapped.
"I recognize you," the male said. "You were the one who wounded me last battle."
'Wounded? That kid?' The one who she threw the needles at? She thought he was dead! Damn it! That meant the needles didn't pierce any vital areas, and she was so sure that where she aimed. The blood loss probably disoriented her.
"Allow me to return the favor."
~Deck~
"Do you think Danieru got away?" Shikamaru whispered to Kankuro.
Kankuro's eyes were grim. "To be honest? I don't know. She's fast, and more than capable of handling herself, but not against that many people. And even if she finds a way out of here, the nearest islands are too far away for her to swim, and she'd drown on the way there. I hate to say it, but either way we put it, she's a goner."
"No she isn't," Gaara growled. "Not while I'm still alive." He tugged, and his binds came loose, a blade hidden in the folds of his robes that he had been using to hack through them.
"HEY!" One of the remaining Sharingan shouted. "He's getting away!"
Gaara took off in the direction his sister went, though the path was quickly blocked by two men, one of which was Shino, the other was the one who the man who was beating on Izumo.
"I'm not going to let you get away," Shino growled.
Gaara growled. He didn't have any weapons on him, they were all lost in the whirlpool, and he had no back up. Maybe he should have thought this through, but his concern for his sister won over any logic. He probably just doomed himself instead of helping his sister.
"Gaara!" Temari shouted.
Gaara ducked, avoiding the two pirates that lunged for him. The one with glasses, Shino he remembered, was quick to catch himself and lunge at Gaara again. Gaara grabbed the other's forearms and pushed him back, sending him stumbling into the other male. The older male untangled himself and pulled out a pistol, firing off three rapid shots. Gaara avoided the first two, but the third caught him on the forearm, grazing it. A thin trail of blood leaked from it, and the sting made Gaara flinch, but he ignored it in favor of ducking into the doorway. Maybe if he could find an armory or something, he could arm himself, and then go after his sister. For now, he had to-
"There are more of you?"
Gaara froze. Damn it. They had absolutely no luck, did they?
Gaara looked into dark eyes, seeing a body slung over the teen's shoulder. "I did not expect this to be the first thing I see when I wake up. It would have been a nice way to train myself, but instead, I am left with trash like this."
Gaara growled when Danieru's body was roughly tossed to the ground. There were obvious signs of struggle, and it looked like Danieru had posed a threat to whoever this was, but in the end, she still wasn't strong enough.
"How dare you call my sister trash?" He growled.
"I only speak the truth," the other replied calmly. "Shall you be my next opponent?"
Gaara got into a fight stance. "I'll avenge my sister."
~Ocean~
"A ship," Mira gasped. "I see a ship!"
Iruka looked up, squinting. "Mira, that's trouble! It's the Sharingan Pirates!"
"Damn it," Mira cursed, getting a better look. "I think it is. And with your ship destroyed…I think our crews may have gotten captured."
Iruka hardened his heart. Kakashi was there, and he had his crew. By now, he would have discovered who everyone was, and piece together Iruka's story. His friends and family would be killed and he had to stop that from happening. "Mira, help me swim over there."
Mira's eyes widened. "Are you crazy?! The two of us against the lot of them?! The odds aren't in our favor!"
"If we don't do anything, they'll die in a horrible way, and I'll be responsible," Iruka murmured. "I promised to never let anything bad happen to them, and I'd be a bad captain if I let them die." He began to struggle out of her arms. "If you don't help me, swim to shore and find a ship or something. But I have to go get them."
"Are you crazy?" Mira grinned. "I have to go with you. My brother's on that ship you know."
Iruka had to smile. "Let's go."
~White Fang~
Lee held his arm in pain. He couldn't move it anymore. It was probably broken, or maybe even shattered, but the enemy was much worse. He lay unconscious, his body beside his sister's.
"Lee!"
Lee turned, seeing some of the crew running towards him. He wanted to sigh in relief. He needed Sakura to look at his arm, and the others to put the two in the dungeon.
"Are you okay?" Kakashi asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"I am fine. I would be more concerned with them." He gestured to the two bodies at his feet.
"Are they dead?"
"Wounded," Lee answered. "But they shall live."
Kakashi gave a single nod. "Good." He looked at the rest of his crew. "Put them in the dungeon, and gather the rest of them. I'll unmask them later."
Kiba hauled Naruto to his feet and sighed. "I thought we were friends Naruto." Ever since he could remember, he had joined the crew shortly after Naruto. The two only shared a love of pranks, but even that blossomed into a friendship. They helped each other, told each other about their pasts, and fought together for years, and yet, Naruto wasn't who he said he was.
"…We are," Naruto mumbled.
"Why did you betray us then?"
"I didn't."
Kiba sighed. "I wish things were different. Why did you have to be a Siren?"
"He's family Kiba. We don't go back on family. I needed to do this to help him."
"And hurting us was an okay cost?"
"You wouldn't understand."
He sighed again, beginning to drag him away. "I probably wouldn't, but you could have-" He froze, eyeing the body lying on the floor. Sakura was tying the female up, but what was exposed of her features he easily recognized.
Naruto turned his head a little, staring at Kiba. "I could have what?"
Kiba's eyes were wide in shock. "No," he whispered.
Naruto followed where his gaze was and winced. Danieru looked in bad shape. There were bruises all over her body, and cuts that were bleeding. Her wrist looked broken and her mask lay shattered near her. "Who the hell hurt her?" Naruto growled. "I'll tear them to shreds."
Kiba didn't hear him. He was frozen.
"In fact, I might not have met you."
"Yeah. I guess it wasn't all bad."
"You have a pretty eye color,"
"I was born with the marks on my cheeks. In fact, everyone in my family has them. I don't know why."
"Well, I like them. It gives you a…a sort of edge."
"An edge?"
"It makes you look tough. Wild."
"Do you like tough and wild?"
"I really like you."
"I love you."
It couldn't be. It just couldn't! But there it was. There she was, laying there. The only way to confirm is she was a Siren was to look for the mark. But he couldn't. If he saw that anywhere on her, he didn't know what he would do. Instead, he lifted Naruto up higher and regretfully walked down to the dungeon. 'I knew it was too good to be true.'
~Dungeon~
Gaara groaned, slowly opening his eyes. He could barely see anything at first, everything being too blurry, but after a few tries, he was able to open his eyes and survey the area. The sun resting low in the sky, leading him to believe that he had been out for at least a couple of hours on end. "Where are we?"
"The dungeons," someone answered, someone who didn't sound familiar.
Gaara looked around, seeing all of his shipmates chained to the wall, then saw a Sharingan Pirate leaning against the wall, the captain beside him. The teen beside the captain had his eyes trained on Itachi, while the captain was observing each of them closely.
"As we speak," Kakashi said. "We're transporting you to Queen Tsunade. We should have killed you by all regards, but Queen Tsunade wants you alive."
"That old hag is only using you," Izumo hissed. "She won't pay you once you've delivered us."
"All she wants is to question you. Once that's done, she releasing all of you to me. I can easily torture you into submission. Or having you begging me to kill you." Even with the mask on, they could see a wicked smirk. "Or, I could let my crew have fun with you. After all, you've seduced nearly all of them. I bet they'd love to return the favor."
Gaara felt disgusted. That was low. The lowest of all the tortures. In the pirate world, rape did indeed exist. It could be seen as an initiation for certain crews, something that happened moreso for females who wanted to be pirates; since there were so little female pirates, that didn't really exist. However, the dirtiest and most dishonorable form of rape was crew rape. Crew rape was when a full crew of pirates ganged up on a different, most of the time weaker, pirate crews and forcefully took pleasure from them. After it happened, the crew that was raped was never seen after that. Crew rape was a death sentence. Once a weaker crew was ganged up on, they lost all respect and all of their reputation. And there was nothing in the pirate world that mattered like respect did. Once that was lost, you weren't even considered a crew, and you weren't pirates anymore. The only out was death.
"Y-You're disgusting!" Toshiro shouted. "You'd be low enough to do something like that?!"
The other thing about crew rape: the crew that ganged up on a weaker one were considered the savages, but that was something that made them a much better crew. To be able to force another person down and force them to submit was a huge deal, simply because pirates were proud. And pride was one the biggest traits in the pirate world. Respect was gained, and lost. It all depended on the roles that were played.
Kakashi just shrugged. "Or maybe Queen Tsunade's men would be better suited. All they do is spend their time watching the palace, bored. I think they'd enjoy such…treasures like you to help them pass time."
"I don't believe you," Hinata growled. "You're a horrible person!"
Kankuro glared. "What would Iruka say to you?"
Kakashi froze. "What did you just say?"
"It doesn't matter if you try and kill Iruka. If you keep him alive, he'll hate you. Kill us, set us up for a full-blown crew rape-it doesn't matter. We mean the world to Iruka. You hurt us, and he'll never love you."
Kakashi quickly strode up to him and grabbed his chin in strong fingers. "Iruka has nothing to do with what's happening to you and your friends. You will leave his name out of everything, do you understand?!"
"You aren't my captain," Kankuro hissed. "Iruka is. I'll only obey him."
Kakashi squeezed the chin in his hand tighter. "You'll regret speaking out against me." He rose slightly. "All of you will."
~Sea~
"Finally," Mira panted, grabbing onto the ropes. "We're here. The White Fang."
Iruka grabbed hold on the hanging net and looked up at the ship looming above him. There was no reason for him to try to hide himself. Once Kakashi saw him or one of the crew saw his tattoo, they'd know it was him. And since there were so many of them, against Iruka and Mira, there was no hope or fighting. Iruka and Mira would surrender, and Iruka would just hope that he wasn't killed on the spot.
Taking a deep breath, he began the climb up, feeling more and more guilt with every passing moment. But he'd be strong. He had to be strong if he wanted to save his crew, his family. He also needed to get up there and free Toshiro and the Femme Fatals before something bad happened to them as well. This was not their battle, so they shouldn't be punished.
"Almost there Captain Umino," Mira whispered. "Are you sure this is the only way?"
Iruka nodded gravely. "It's the only way. I wish it were different, that I didn't involve myself with them, but I have no choice but to face the consequences of my actions."
Mira nodded slowly. "Of course." The edge was in sight. Mira gripped it and paused, watching Iruka do the same. Iruka gave her an apologetic smile and hauled himself over the edge.
~Deck~
"Captain!" Sakura shouted, running down to the dungeon. "Captain! We found him!"
Kakashi looked away from his prisoner and to Sakura. "Who? Who did you find?"
Sakura panted, exerted from her run. "The lead Siren. The one we were looking for. Umino Iruka is up on the deck."
"No," the purple-haired prisoner whispered. "Please let it be a lie."
Kakashi smirked under his mask. "Lead me to him."
Kakashi was feeling conflicted. There were equal parts anger, excitement, nervousness, and fear all in one. What was he to say to Iruka? What was he to do?
'You lied to me.'
'You tricked me.'
'I'm turning you into Queen Tsunade.'
'You're a traitor.'
'The penalty for treason is death.'
'You'll never again see the light of day.'
'I won't let you escape from me again.'
'I'm going to fuck you against a door.'
…Probably not that last one. That would probably just throw his life into turmoil again. It would give him a temporary high, but then it would just set in the reality that all Iruka did for him was fake. It was a song Iruka wove together, one Kakashi was the unwilling and oblivious muse for. And now, when he was faced with Iruka again, he didn't know what he would do.
When he first laid eyes on Iruka, the first thing that registered was the soaking wet clothes that clung to Iruka's body. Second was his chocolate brown hair was out, some strands stuck to his forehead. Third was that he had a defiant fire in his eyes, one that spoke of a man unafraid to fight through the masses. Fourth was longing, one that made Kakashi want to run over and embrace him. And finally, he noticed the sadness, the sense that Iruka just needed a hug.
He looked horrible, yet he looked beautiful.
"Finally," Kakashi whispered. "The famed Siren: Umino Iruka."
Iruka kept his head held high. "Captain Hatake."
There was a moment of silence where Kakashi just stared at Iruka. The man met his gaze unflinchingly. He held steady, lifting his chin a bit and giving off the appearance of confidence, even though in his situation, he should look anything else.
"You lied to me."
"I did."
"You tricked me."
"Aye."
"You sabotaged me."
"I do not deny that I did."
"You stole from me."
"Many times."
"You've hurt me."
"I have."
"And yet you boldly climb aboard my ship and face me, even when you know the penalty for all that you've done is death." Kakashi was slightly impressed. Instead of denying anything or defending himself, Iruka simply admitted to all that he did. Instead of trying to get Kakashi to spare him, he was taking his punishment, like a true pirate.
"Yet you haven't killed me," Iruka pointed out. "I expected you to strike me where I stand, yet all you've done is list my crimes against you."
"I need to make you aware of your crimes."
Iruka nodded. "I am aware. And what do you intend to do to me?"
Kakashi gripped the hilt of his Chidori. "It was at first death-"
The girl beside Iruka gasped.
"-But Queen Tsunade wants you." His hand dropped from his sword. "For now, you'll be chained in the dungeon with the rest of your crew. We're setting sail back to Konohagakure. Queen Tsunade requests an…audience, with you, and once that is done, you'll be left to me. I'll be able to deal with you however I want."
"Shall you kill me once the Queen is done with me?" Iruka was kind of expecting that. It seemed like the only option Kakashi would have, and if Kakashi didn't, then the Queen would. And if not her, then someone with a grudge against them would. It would spread that the Sharingan Pirates finally bested the Sirens of the Sea and had them under lockdown.
"That is yet to be determined," Kakashi answered. "Genma, take Iruka down to the dungeon. Sakura, you take his friend. Do not let either of them escape, or the consequences shall be dire."
"Aye Cap'n," the two chorused.
And while he was being dragged away, Iruka did not spare a glance at Kakashi.
Huh. Kakashi wasn't sure if he should be glad or upset.
~Dungeon~
Iruka watched the large scarred man warily. He had a twisted smirk on his face and he walked around the dungeon, observing each and every one of them in turn. With him was an array of weapons, each looking deadlier than the last and some Iruka had no clue what they were.
"I worked for Queen Tsunade," the man started conversationally, picking up a blade. "My job was an executioner, a torturer. I've tortured and killed over a thousand men and women within two years. And each and every time, the prisoner confessed within minutes of me being in the room with them." He put the blade down and picked a long metal pole up. "What I'm trying to say is: I'm good at what I do. And before we encounter Queen Tsunade, I've been told by Captain Hatake to do everything in my power to strip you of every secret, of every trick, of all your skills. I'm here for everything." The pole went down and a gun came up. "So, who wants to be first?"
There was no answer. No one said a word, all just staring at him in anger.
"I knew this would happen." He picked the pole up again and shoved it into a small fire near the door. "Looks like I'll have to pick my first victim. And I think I'll pick the one of you who pushed that cannon into me."
Danieru bit her lip. Damn it! How did he know it was her?! She had her mask on damn it, why did he know who she was? Maybe he recognized some of her physical features and pieced it together, but with the weaponry he had, she was sure she would leave with a few body parts missing.
"Leave her alone!" Kankuro hissed. "Don't you dare touch her!"
Ibiki perked up. "And why not? Is she your lover?"
"She's my sister," Kankuro growled. "And I won't let you lay a finger on her."
Ibiki pulled the pole out of the fire and turned. "And what will you do if I do touch her?" He walked over to Danieru and held the hot metal pole close to her face. Danieru flinched away, but she couldn't move very far. She could feel the heat close to her and knew that a single touch would be excruciating.
"I'll kill you," Gaara hissed. "I will rip your throat out and crush you where you stand if you touch our sister."
Ibiki smirked. "Just try it." He used shoved the hot end of the pole under her skirt.
Danieru screamed.
"BASTARD!" Temari screamed, trying her hardest to lunge. "STOP IT!"
Iruka began to thrash, as did the others, all trying in vain to free themselves to get to Danieru and stop this torture, but they were restrained tightly. They were barely able to move. All they could do was thrash around and try to get to Danieru. Ibiki laughed at their futile attempts. "It's not even at a critical point. Close, but nowhere near where you're thinking." He pressed the pole harder, making the girl choke on saliva and she screamed out again. She tried jerking her legs away, but Ibiki persisted. It wasn't like she would get very far anyways. The chains prevented her from moving.
"I'll kill you," Gaara snarled. "I'll kill you!"
Ibiki looked over at him and removed the pole. Danieru took a shuddering breath and let it out slowly, squeezing her legs together as if that would help.
"Brat," Ibiki grumbled. "You're next." He tossed the pole aside and picked up a sword, running a single finger along the blade. Blood began to pool on his finger, but he ignored it in favor of stalking over to Gaara and ripping off his shirt. Gaara snapped at him, but Ibiki just watched him in amusement. "I'll split you right down the middle." He placed the tip of the sword at Gaara's throat. Gaara froze, knowing that if he moved, he would die. "Watch." Ibiki pressed the sword in enough to pierce the skin and draw blood. Then, he drug the sword down Gaara's neck and chest, stopping only when he reached the waistline of Gaara's trousers. Gaara stayed completely still throughout the whole thing, which impressed Ibiki. Normally, his prisoners would have been squirming and thrashing so much that they would have been dead by now. But Ibiki wasn't through.
Tossing the sword aside, he picked up something that looked like blades that were hooked at the end. But they were long and thin, not really a weapon, but not something that was common. "I've been fascinated by the body for a long time. There was the body of one of your crewmates that landed on the ship. His insides were…different. I wonder if that can be said about the rest of you."
"What are you doing?" Hinata asked fearfully. "Leave him alone!"
Gaara held his breath as one of the cool metal hooks sunk into the spilt skin and began to pull back, exposing the right side of his insides. Ibiki held that between two fingers of his right hand and reached for the other one, exposing Gaara's stomach. Gaara shouted in pain as the skin was roughly pulled apart. Everything was on display, his insides.
"Hmm…nope. Nothing alike," Ibiki said after a few minutes of poking and prodding. "I guess you're different from him."
Gaara hissed in pain. "Let go of me…you sadistic bastard."
Ibiki just smiled. "Thank you."
"I knew there was a reason I hated you!" Naruto shouted. "You were always so creepy!"
Ibiki's head snapped to Naruto. "Ah yes. Our little traitor. I have something special planned for you." He walked back over to where his fire was still crackling and picked up a single gauntlet that was lying near the fire. The fingers of the gauntlet were white from being in the fire so long, and the insides must have been scathing hot, but he slipped his hand into them without even flinching, approaching Naruto. "Now, be a good boy and stay still else this'll be worse."
"Don't touch Naruto," Iruka hissed. "Leave him alone!"
Ibiki lifted Naruto's shirt with his gauntlet-free hand and exposed his stomach. "Or what?" He asked and touched all five of the tips of his fingers to Naruto stomach, pressing in deeply. Naruto howled in pain, beginning to flail around to escapes the hot fingers. Iruka flinched himself as he watched five burn spots begin to form on Naruto's stomach. Naruto tossed his head from side to side, trying to hold back his screams of pain, but little sounds slipped out of his mouth every now and then. Ibiki grinned, pressing his fingers in deeper and twisting his hand. Naruto screamed once more, then collapsed back against the wall he was chained against, the pain making him pass out.
Ibiki rose and smirked at the rest of his prisoners, who were staring at him in horror, shock, and anger. And throughout this whole thing, no one spilled a single secret. He was impressed. With three of them wounded, he assumed that they would tell their life stories, but they were hard to crack. But no matter. He always got want he wanted.
"I'll have fun breaking each and every one of you."
~The Next Morning~
Kakashi looked across the horizon, watching the sun slowly rise. The waters were a light gray in the early morning light, not the deep blue Kakashi was accustomed to seeing. It was nice; the sea was quiet, and everything seemed like it was peaceful, even though Kakashi knew it was anything but. With all that happened in the last few days, he was expecting the sea to be raging, the sun to be blocked, and Poseidon's wrath to be wreaked on them all.
It would be perfectly fitting.
"Captain Hatake, we have a problem."
Ah, there it was. There was the issue.
"What is it Ibiki?" Kakashi asked without turning.
"There's problem with our prisoners."
Kakashi finally turned, raising an eyebrow. "Did they escape?"
"No," Ibiki answered, shaking his head. "But you need to see what happened."
Kakashi sighed noiselessly. "Lead the way."
Ibiki turned on his heel and lead him to the dungeon, talking the whole way. "I did as you asked and tortured them. I used a decent amount of my skills and only learned a few things. But that isn't the problem." He opened the door to the dungeon, and even with his mask on, Kakashi was greeted with the strong stench of blood. "The problem is that three of them…they were in pain, but they show no signs of the damage. No scars, no burns, no marks whatsoever."
Kakashi looked around. Everywhere, there was blood spilled, the smell of burnt flesh, and bruises and marks of various sizes and shaped on exposed skin. Ibiki must have gotten frustrated, because there as a sign of a fight in each of them. Clothes were torn, faces were swelled, cuts were scabbed over, and bones looked broken.
"I've tried everything," Ibiki said as he picked up a small dagger. "But three of them aren't marked up. They'll feel the pain, yet they won't show any physical signs of damage." He walked over to the far side of the wall, where Kakashi saw three teens huddled together. One of them was Naruto, his blonde hair matted with blood and dirt. The second was a male with red hair that looked browner with the amount of grime in it. He had his arms tightly around Naruto, but was stretched as far across as he could have his arms wrapped around the last teen, a female. Her legs were tightly together, arms stretched to be around Naruto and the other male.
"What's wrong with them?" Kakashi asked. "It looks like you didn't each touch them."
"That's my point," Ibiki said. He picked up the dagger and lifted Naruto's head, drawing the dagger across his throat, not enough to slit it, but enough to draw a fair amount of blood. "Now watch this." Ibiki took a dirty rag and wiped he cut clean.
Or what would have been a cut if there was one there.
"Wha-how did he-"
Ibiki shook his head gravely. "I asked myself the same thing. Ever since I was sent down here, I tried everything I could think of before the got to the extreme method, but the same thing happened. I broke bones, burned, stabbed, and done everything possible, and yet, they only look dirty, not harmed."
Dark eyes met mismatched.
"No matter what I do, they always seem to heal themselves."
Me: You didn't really think this would get anywhere without any mythical shit, did you?
Kakashi: WHAT KIND OF CONFRONTATION WAS THAT?!
Me: You can piss the fuck off Kakashi. The next important plot point comes next chapter. Besides, you saw your Ruka, didn't you?
Kakashi: Well, yeah, but-
Me: But nothing. You got to see him, Lee fought Gaara and Danieru, Ibiki got all torture-y, and the Sirens are in trouble. I know this chapter may seem weird as well, but that'll change next chapter. Next chapter is another confrontation, only it'll be between Iruka and Tsunade, Sasuke and Itachi, Kiba and Danieru, and Neji and Shino.
Iruka: So…
Me: Yes, so…well, Lee's alive
Gai: THANK THE AUTHORESS!
Me: And…well, I have no idea what to say about this chapter. There's a lot going on…*flips through notebook* that I didn't really plan. There was supposed to be a chapter to break up the drama that I didn't add…oh! That was because it was a whole chapter dedicated to Gai, and I didn't know where to put it.
Gai: And what would have been in this chapter?
Me: A little about the backstory I created for you. I'll either put that in a separate story, or make a little section of the next chapter. It also involved…smut…huh. *looks at pages* Wow, I really botched this. Kurenai and Asuma were supposed to meet in chapter nine, then Kurenai was supposed to give him a fake tip, then the Sharingan were supposed to go on a chase… *muttering to self*
Kakashi: You are so unorganized.
Me: Shut up! Things just changed! That Mizuki thing wasn't planned…*looking at notebook* no, it was but not until later *tosses notebook over shoulder and into fireplace* oh well. This is how things go now. *smiles* So, read, review, and see you next chapter!
Preview for next chapter:
"They're a danger to everyone on the seas."
"I still love you. I need you to know that."
"I loved you! I'm in love with you!"
"I'm so sorry. None of this would have happened if I hadn't dragged you all into this."
"If you don't give me what I want, you'll pay a drastic price."
"Something like this shouldn't exist in theory, yet it does. If it isn't dealt with, we're all doomed."
"If you die, I die with you. I won't live without you."
"Do you even know what I've gone through without you?!"
"I won't show you any mercy."
