Every writer should make sure to thank their betas/editors so thanks to my Betas otakufangirl101 and The Keeper of Worlds. Their support improves and keeps this story running.
Damn.
No apology this time. Still keeping in the:
[Insert false promises]
[Insert belated hopes and aspirations]
Read and enjoy.
NOTE: This chapter has not been beta'd
xxxXxxx
Month Three Week Three: But I'll Scrape By
"How much farther is it?"
"Not much, Naruto-kun," Chojuri replied, keeping an eye out for shadows moving amongst the trees. It had been a week since they had left Kirigakure and a few since they had landed Nosuesto Island. Now they were nearing the western coast of the island looking for their ticket out of the country. "Follow me closely, Mei-sama's map shows there are traps around here."
"Got it," Naruto replied, picking up the pace. A migraine brewing behind his eyes brought two fingers to pinch the bridge of his nose. Trying to catch a decent sleep was like fishing with your hands, slipped right between the fingers. Although really, what could he expect as a wanted man? "I can't wait to get out of Water Country. No offense, but between the threat of imprisonment and almost drowning between on our trip from Buru Haha to Nosuesuto I'm ready to leave."
"I can't say I blame you," Chojuri muttered as she stopped, "But at least you can't say anything bad about Mei-sama."
xxxXxxx
Women on all sides, three armed with blades and menacing masks, one who might still be a friend, and one who could melt his bones with a sigh; honestly, things could be worse.
He just couldn't imagine how at the moment because he was surrounded by kunoichi; three armed with blades and menacing masks, one who might still be a friend, and one who could melt his bones with a sigh; which in all honesty, was pretty, damn, bad situation.
What were his options?
Run? Might make it to the door. Fight? He might get tossed through the door. Use the red chakra? Your body would explode all over the door, pretty boy.So that was out. Plead for his freedom?
…That might work.
So Naruto immediately dropped to his knees and shouted, "Please, don't imprison me! I don't want to be a fuck toy!"
"Uh, Naruto-kun, haven't you been listening?" Mei asked, a smile bubbling on her lips. The ANBU were cackling behind their masks and Chojuri's head looked like it was about to pop.
"Well…pretty evident that I wasn't," Naruto answered as he scratched his head and got off the floor. Clearing his throat Naruto waved a hand at Mei, "Go on."
"As I was saying there is a plan to imprison you, but turning our hero into a prisoner isn't something I can abide and I don't really want to begin my reign by enslaving anyone," Mei explained. "Which is why…"
xxxXxxx
And so Mei revealed her master plan to Naruto and Chojuri. Chojuri would escort Naruto to a cove where a hidden dock was waiting for them. They would commandeer the ship and Chojuri would ferry Naruto back to the shores of Wave country then come back. On their journey to the cove Mei's would disseminate the story that she had sent three ANBU operatives led by Chojuri after Naruto. On their hunt they would make as much ruckus as possible, so word would get back to Kiri.
"The coast should be just-" Chojuri passed through a bush, "Here we are."
Naruto followed her steps and found himself standing alongside Chojuri upon a wide, open beach. Even with the headache, Naruto couldn't help but crack a smile as he took in the scene. The sun was high above them, the sea breeze was refreshing, and the water looked welcoming, if only he wasn't in danger of becoming a breeding stud. "So, where to?"
Chojuri pulled out a map, "It seems like we came out of the forest a little early; the cove will be a mile north from here. Let's get going." The teens trekked through the sand their silence only broken by their huffs, until they arrived at their destination. "This is it."
The ship wasn't nearly as big as he'd imagined it, but as long as it got them off this island he wasn't complaining. Speaking of which, "Will it sail?"
"She looks to be seaworthy, better than I thought she'd be and it looks like it even has a motor. I'll have to check that before we ship off, but whoever this belonged to made sure she'd be able to sail," Chojuri replied as she set her sword down on the dock and hopped onto the ship. "You should check the shack and see if there's anything useful that we can take."
"Right, I'll leave you to it," Naruto said, placing his staff and backpack on the floor. While Chojuri prepped the ship, Naruto rifled through the rundown hut and managed to find a few storage lockers; unfortunately, they sported giant, thick, steel padlocks. Chojuri's massive sword came to mind as an alternative key, but another idea came to mind. Retrieving his staff from the dock Naruto inspected the new metal braces courtesy of Kiri, "This should be a good test."
Raising the staff high Naruto slammed it against the lock as violently as he could. To his surprise he actually managed to dent it and after a few more whacks it popped open. Naruto repeated this process on every locker, until he had them cracked wide open. "That's a definite improvement. Now let's see what we've got."
While it wasn't much in the way of a treasure trove the lockers did have plenty of necessities. Rations, spare clothes, fuel for the motor, emergency supplies, repair kit for the ship, and a mysterious, metal briefcase.
"Naruto-kun," Choojuri called from outside, "Mei-sama gave me some keys, does anything in there have a lock?"
Naruto scoffed, the useless, smashed locks lying around the room now good for a laugh, "Not-" then his eyes caught the briefcase's shiny lock, "Yeah, I did find one."
The expression Chojuri sported when the padlocks captured notice was a mix between befuddlement and a smirk, "So just one, huh?"
"One left," Naruto replied, staff pointing at the briefcase, "I was going to use my key, but I thought better of it."
She nodded towards the other lockers and Naruto quickly rattled off the treasure trove left to them. "Great, I was worried that rations were the only thing left on the ship. Now, let's see if this case has any other happy surprises for us."
After an exhaustive and annoying search for the right key, they opened the case and gasped, "Woah…talk about happy surprises."
Their shock came from the fact was briefcase was loaded to the brim with cold, hard cash, "How much do you think is in there, Juri-chan?"
"Don't know, but we're taking all of it," Chojuri said shutting the case and smiling at him, "You might need it, besides I think Kiri owes you something other than being a f-fuck toy."
Naruto groaned, "Really? I thought you of all people wouldn't bring that up." He made a note to never beg for his life until he was assured that it was actually in danger.
"I'm sorry, but no one is ever going to forget that," Chojuri laughed gently as she picked up the case, "Now come on we've been here long enough, let's move all these supplies onboard and set sail."
xxxXxxx
The day after their escape from Kiri, Mei had to contend with her own set of problems.
"Why the hell are those freakin' girls taken so long to catch one brat?" Ameyuri shouted as she kicked her feet up on the desk.
"That brat has a name and if you recall, Naruto-kun, saved our hides not too long," Mei said glaring at her comrade, "And I trust that Chojuri-chan is doing her best to bring him back."
"Oh?" Kushima spoke up, balancing the Nuibari on the tip of her finger, "I'm not too sure about that, in fact for all we know your little apprentice is out there having herself a ball with that little boy toy."
"Can't say I blame her, that boy's a tasty little snack," Ameyuri cackled.
"Enough, I won't have you attack Chojuri-chan when she isn't here to defend herself," Mei said crossing her arms, "And haven't you considered that perhaps it might be hard to capture a man who could take down a Jinchuuriki?"
"I'll give you that," Kushima replied as she allowed the Nuibari to fall into her fingers, "but we can save that discussion for another time, we've still got the village's financial situation to worry about."
"Freakin' killjoy," Ameyuri muttered before addressing Mei, "so how the hell are we supposed make enough cash to cover the debt Yagura racked up? No way clients are gonna be knockin' down our door after our little war."
"Oh? You might have a point," Kushima replied as she reached into her pockets and splayed a cluster of photographs across the table, "but I think these might bring in some extra money."
"You can't be serious?" Mei asked, picking up one of the pictures.
"Desperate times, boss lady," Ameyuri replied as she blushed from one of the photos, "and I think Shag-head might actually be onto somethin'."
xxxXxxx
"So how long will it take to reach Wave?" Naruto asked as he gazed out at the ocean.
"If the winds hold up, a week and a half, two tops," Chojuri replied as she monitored the ship's instruments.
"You know I never realized how big the ocean was," Naruto said as he made himself comfortable, "I mean I knew it was big, but I didn't realize how big 'big' was."
"I know what you mean," Chojuri said, looking up from the instruments to gaze out at the grand sight of the sea, "It's been a long time since I was last able to sail without worry."
"So the course is set and we're good on supplies," Naruto said, "Nothing else to do but enjoy the view, right?"
"Pretty much," Chojuri replied and smiled, "But it is an amazing view."
They sailed, well more like Chojuri sailed and Naruto took in the scenery, which ended up being pretty stale sight after the first three days. With nothing better to do, Naruto decided to brooch a subject that had been eating him since its discovery. "Say, Juri-chan, do you think you could teach me how to control my chakra?"
"You mean you don't how?" Chojuri asked. "Then how did you manage to stop Yagura?"
"I was pretty much winging it," Naruto replied, "I've got no clue how I survived her attack." Although he had a pretty good idea it had something to do with the Kyuubi, but he couldn't figure out the connection.
"Wait, you mean you don't know?"
"Know what?"
"Of course your amnesia, you must have forgotten," Chojuri deduced, though she couldn't know she was off the mark.
"Sorry am I missing something?" Naruto asked.
Chojuri sighed as she wondered how to break the news, but there weren't exactly many avenues open to her except for the obvious, "Naruto-kun, try to stay calm, but you're like Yagura-san."
"In what way?"
Chojuri took a deep breath, "You're both jinchuuriki."
She watched as his eyes widened and jaw dropped, and prepared herself for the worse. "I have no clue what Jinchuki is."
Chojuri's head dropped as she smacked herself, "No, of course, you wouldn't. A Jinchuuriki is a person who has had one of the legendary tailed beasts sealed inside of them."
As soon as he processed her words everything clicked into place. That was the reason the Kyuubi spoke to him and where the red energy came from, it was probably why he could use chakra too. "Wait, how did this even happen?"
"I can't answer that, but maybe you'll find the answers in Konoha," Chojuri replied.
"Guess I've got another reason to go there," Naruto shook his head and gazed out over the sea, then slowly a chuckle bubbled out of him and traveled across the sunny sea.
Chojuri nervously observed her companion, "Are you alright?"
Naruto's laughter died down as he turned to his companion, "I probably wouldn't be if the past few months hadn't happened. I mean, I just fled from a kunoichi village, and escaped a country that I saved from monster woman which I only ended up in because I exploded and drifted across the ocean. At this point a demon in my body is kind of expected, don't you think?"
"I suppose so," Chojuri replied uncertainly, "but really it's a surprise, a good surprise, to see you taking it so well. I know the past couple of days haven't been easy for you; I just want you to know that I'm here for you, if you need anything."
"Thanks, and actually before the whole…'demon' thing came up," It would definitely take some time to completely come to terms with that, "I was asking how I could learn to use my chakra?"
Chojuri smiled brightly, "Yes, that's something I can absolutely do. First you have to locate your chakra…" And so Chojuri made a clone to take the helm while she began her impromptu lesson. Naruto and Chojuri found training to be a great way to pass the hours, and for Naruto it was a superb distraction from the demon; a demon which coincidentally hadn't made any contact with him since the battle for Kiri. He thought he'd have to pay out those favors as soon as he awoke, not that he was complaining, but her silence was suspicious, combined with the knowledge of where she was made it hard not to think of what the Kyuubi could be planning. As to the study of chakra, Chojuri had informed Naruto that he was progressing well for someone his age, and a man, having learned how to access his chakra quite quickly. Now he was on the bow attempting to hold a kunai to his palm with nothing but his energy.
CLUNK!
"Again." Chojuri ordered.
"Right," Naruto replied as he picked up the fallen weapon. He turned to Chojuri, who he found to be a shockingly hard taskmaster, wiped his sweaty brow and asked, "When do you think we can take a break?"
"Soon," Chojuri answered, "I feel like you're close to breakthrough." Naruto nodded and got back to it, what he didn't know was Chojuri had found her own enjoyable way to pass the time. While he was working his tail off to learn, Chojuri had been sitting on hers learning some surprising aspects about herself, mainly, that she enjoyed watching half naked—the shirt had come off twenty minutes ago—handsome, young men work up a sweat.
Unfortunately, her new, favorite past time caused her to miss the mischievous clouds forming ahead of them until it was too late.
xxxXxxx
"So far we've gotten some requests from advertiser's to use the pictures," Honzo, the new Mizukage's, assistant said, "And Ao-san suggested making a calendar from the pictures."
"Well, we have plenty enough for that," Mei replied, "and anything that brings in more money is definitely on the table."
"I will arrange the meetings and hire a team to make the calendar, Mei-sama."
"Thank you, Honzo-san," Mei was grateful for his help, things had been running much more smoothly with him around.
"Once Chojuri-san retrieves Naruto-san we'll have many more options," Honzo added.
"Yes, of course," Mei replied. It had been more than week so Mei was confident they were riding the waves already, still she had a nagging feeling that they might be in danger.
xxxXxxx
"Whoa! I didn't know—shit!" Naruto clung desperately to the ship's console besides Chojuri as it went nearly vertical on the rampaging sea, "That waves got so big!"
"Just hold on!" Chojuri shouted as the ship buckled about. Her legs strained as she battled the sea, but the sea fought back battering her body with gallon upon gallon of ice cold water. Steady arms steered the bow of the ship through the angry storm, but Chojuri could feel the fingertips going numb.
Naruto wasn't in fairing any better, although River country had made him no stranger to bad weather the worst he'd ever contended with was heavy rain, but the punishing waves were more than he could handle. The treacherous floor wasn't doing him any favors either, every time he thought his footing was sure it would give way and send him toppling. His only saving grace, the cold hadn't yet seeped past the skin. "Juri-chan, what's the plan here!?"
"Not capsizing!" Chojuri shot back as another wave tried to do just that, but her deft control of the ship cut a path through the unwieldy beast. "We have to find the way out of this storm!"
"How?"
"Look across the horizon, the sky will be whiter where the storm ends!" Chojuri shouted. The boat cleared another wave, but the teens stomachs nearly rocketed out as they found the ship soaring through the air. "Oh…Fu...ck!"
The jarring crash forced Chojuri to her knees, but she refuse to yield the wheel. Naruto's wasn't so lucky, as the console slipped from his grasp and sent him tumbling towards the stern.
"Naruto-kun!"
"Oof!" Naruto hit the rail chest first, but he held enough sense to clutch it desperately for dear life. "I'm okay!" Naruto managed to yell in spite of his aching chest. As he checked for another violent surge a dull shine in the distance caught his eye. "Juri-chan, over there!"
"You're going to have to be more specific!"
"On the left!"
"Who's left?"
Even though the sea was blender attempting to mulch them into paste a light bulb managed to go off in his mind, "The ship's left!"
Sailing terminology was definitely on the list of subjects to learn if he survived.
"I see it!" The ship groaned in protest, but Chojuri refused to be deterred and managed to command the ship toward the light. She glanced back to see Naruto making his way back toward her, "No! Stay—!"
Before the words could get out Naruto was slammed by the surf, luckily it sent him tumbling forward into the console. "Okay," Naruto said saddling up next her, "I'm back, how are we doing?"
"We're going to make it," the confidence was knocked right out of her sails when the ship suddenly dipped and they came face to face with largest wave they'd encountered yet. "By Buru Haha!"
"Not to be mean," Naruto started gripping the console as tightly as he could, "but I feel like you jinxed it."
"If that wave lands on us it'll tear the ship in half!"
"I'm open to any ideas because I've got nothing!"
Chojuri's mind exhausted every sensible idea, so decided on a nonsensible one. Hands flashing as she stepped away from the wheel, Chojuri shouted, "Water Style: Water Clone Jutsu!"
From thin air a glob of water burst into Chojuri's form. "Keep her steady and on course," the real Chojuri ordered as she made her way to the ship's bow, using her chakra to contend with the unsteady deck.
"On course! What do you mean on course?!" Naruto shouted.
"We need to build up speed!"
"Speed? For what?!"
"Just trust me!" Chojuri yelled back.
"Don't really have much of a choice," Naruto muttered, then turned to the clone as their ship rocked, "You heard the lady, keep her steady!"
Chojuri stood at the tip of the bow and pulled the Hiramekarei off her back. The wave bore down on top of them, howling with the fury of the sea, but the kunoichi did not budge, she refused to quell under its awesome might; instead she formed a wide stance and held the massive, flounder-shaped blade above her shoulder.
"HirameKarei: Release!" the bandages exploded off the blade as a brilliant blue fire lit the sea. Naruto watched in awe as the fire took shape to form long sword nearly twice as long as the ship, as the colossal current came roaring down on them Chojuri hurled out a roar of her own and swung Hiramekarei. The wave and blade met with bombastic explosion and Chojuri grit her teeth as the ferocious force threatened to consume her, but her arms held steady and the blade true. Water pummeled their vessel, the mast cracked and bent, and the windows around control room cracked, but Chojuri's strength was rewarded as their small schooner cut a swath through the terrible torrent.
And just as quickly as the wave had appeared, it was gone, the ship sailed shakily to and fro, but she remained afloat. Chojuri, in a similar state as her ship, wobbled but remained standing, a great, gleeful smile on her face.
"Haha! We're alive!" Naruto whopped from behind her, "You're ama—oh, come on!"
Chojuri saw what had caused her friend's a panic, another wave nearly as large as the last one. "Damn," Chojuri muttered as she feebly hefted the blade above her shoulder. She'd drained all the chakra stored in her sword to split the last swell and even had to pour in a portion of her own, so it was doubtful she'd have repeat performance. Still, after everything they went through she'd be damned if they died out here; the blue flame fizzled back to life around her sword.
As Naruto watched he realized that Chojuri didn't have enough strength to seal the deal and made a choice. He might not be a kunoichi, but he'd certainly proven that his capability, so taking a page from her book Naruto used chakra to stick to the deck; testing and finding his foot secure Naruto took another step, but slipped. "Damn it!"
He tried again, but only managed to hold on with one foot. Knowing he wouldn't be able to learn this technique in time, Naruto dropped to all fours and started crawling. With one leg acting as anchor Naruto crept across the deck like a mad-hopping frong, until he was literally at his friend's feet, "Juri-chan!"
"Naruto-kun?! Get back!" Chojuri shouted.
"Too late for that!" Naruto pointed towards oncoming water.
Chojuri once more formed the long sword, but this one was barely half the ship's length. Chojuri squeezed out every spare, but the well was dry, "Damn, it'll have to do!"
In the split second before Chojuri swung her blade Naruto grasped her legs. He'd never attempted anything like this, but he remembered the day his chakra surfaced and saved the kunoichi, the sensation of pushing the power into the woman. Reaching deep, Naruto forced every ounce of chakra out; this sea burst into green light as energy gushed out of every pore. He cursed as nothing happened, and desperately tried to will the chakra into Chojuri, but luck had jumped ship, and the surge devoured them.
"HirameKarei: Release!"
A glowing, green longsword ripped through the tidal wave, it towered above the storming sea and, without warning, it tore the wave asunder. Out of the parted sea rode the ship, battered and stalwart, its crew barely standing, but standing nonetheless, victorious and proud. The danger wasn't over as the landing jarred them once more, tossing the swordswoman forward.
"Juri-chan!" The girl in questions thanked her lucky stars Naruto was still holding her ankles, and with serious effort on his part, Naruto managed to drag her back over the rail; grunting as they tumbled to the deck. Naruto rubbed his head, hoping he hadn't knocked anything important loose, only to find his attention captivated by the woman hovering over. Her rain matted hair clung to her cheeks, which bloomed rosy red from the cold, her crooked glasses covered a grateful pair of eyes. The whole picture left Naruto believing that some grey matter had been misplaced, fortunately the salty, foaming sea water fixed him right.
"Eugh," Naruto coughed as the sour flavor dug into his taste buds, "I officially hate the ocean."
"I'm not fond of it either right now," Chojuri said, cleaning her glasses as best she could. Her sight immediately turned seaward and was happy to see, that while the ocean raged, no giant arms of water were swinging down on them; happier still because the end of the storm was in sight. After she tugged Naruto to his feet, Chojuri headed back to console, "Looks like that's—mmph!"
Naruto removed his hand, "Don't jinx it."
"…Right."
The sea treated them unkindly, but their troubles remained in their long gone trail and soon the end was before them. The heavy, grey clouds slowly dissipated, the pounding rainstorm faded into a drizzle, and an orange ray of light created a welcoming path out of the malevolent maelstrom. The worn travelers gazed appreciatively at the horizon before them; the sky had gone ablaze with hues of red, orange, and purple, the sea had become a cluster of glittering candles.
"Almost feels like an apology, doesn't it?" Chojuri asked.
"Yeah," Naruto replied, "but it's going to take more than a scenic view to earn my forgiveness…still, it's a pretty good start." He checked the ship over, "What are we going to do about the mast?"
"Can't do much except making sure it doesn't fall off. Go take of that," Chojuri order her clone, "Now, we'll just to have hope that we have enough fuel for the motor."
"And if we don't?"
"We'll have to improvise."
"Sounds like a plan."
Chojuri took the ship a bit further out; she wanted to make sure they were well away from the storm. Killing the motor once the sun had gone down she headed toward stern and unfurled a large cloth.
"What is that?" Naruto asked.
"Deep-sea anchor," Chojuri answered as she threw it over the side, "it'll keep us from drifting. Speaking of which I should figure out where w-we a-are."
Noticing his friend's verbal hiccup, Naruto examined her closely, she looked paler, her lips were blue, and she was shaking all over. How could he be so foolish? The cold, for whatever reason, hadn't gotten to him, but his friend hadn't been so lucky. "No, Juri-chan, we have to get you below deck."
"N-No, I'm f-f-fine."
"No, you're not," Naruto stated taking her by the arm, "crap, you're freezing." He dragged her below the deck to the v-berth they had been sharing. "Strip," Naruto ordered as he pulled off his shirt.
"What?!"
"You have to get out of those clothes, before you catch pneumonia," Naruto explained, "Now, strip, we have to get you warm."
"R-Right," Choujuri said following his lead, albeit nervously. Soon Naruto had stripped down to nothing, dried himself off as best he could and prepared the berth, making sure to grab extra blankets. Meanwhile, Chojuri was down to her underwear and seemed hesitant to go further.
"Those too, Juri-chan," Naruto said unashamed about his present state tossing her a towel.
His friend on the other had managed to become a bit pink in the cheeks at the full view Naruto was offering, "D-Do you mind closing your eyes?"
"Okay," Naruto answered, then hopped into the bed and closed his eyes.
Not wasting another second Chojuri tossed the freezing, offensive articles onto the floor with a flop, gave herself a quick dry with the towel, and followed him into the berth. Naruto tossed the blankets over them, but was annoyed to find Chojuri, back to him and keeping her distance, "It's doesn't work this way, Juri-chan. You need the extra body heat."
Not responding she scooched barely towards him, "Closer," she scooched a fraction closer, "more than that," once again barely a centimeter was lost, "Oh for the love of-come here."
Chojuri squeaked as she found herself back to chest with Naruto, but her embarrassment didn't end there as Naruto started rubbing her up and down, "H-Hey!"
"Sorry, but you're way too cold, and I refuse to let anything happen to you on my watch," Naruto said, all business, "I should've noticed earlier."
Chojuri took his hand in hers and allowed it to soak up the heat, "It's not your fault, Naruto-kun."
"No its not, doesn't mean I'm not worried," Naruto said making sure they got as much skin to skin contact as possible. "How are you feeling?"
"A bit better, the feeling is starting come back to my fingers," Chojuri answered, before yawning. She'd been going strong on adrenaline and stubbornness, but now the events of the day were catching up to her; even the embarrassment from contact with his warm, naked body was draining away. She felt him stop and before she could ask, Naruto wrapped her in his arms, the soothing warmth of his body lulling her too to dreamland. Chojuri couldn't help but feel safe and comforted in his arms and it brought a smile to her face, "Good night, Naruto-kun…"
Naruto wondered what his friend had just mumbled, but the thought floated away as sleep turned its notice towards him. He struggled against it, his concern for Chojuri keeping it at bay, but it was no use and soon he joined Chojuri in her dreams.
xxxXxxx
TBC…Read and review, folks.