Stormy Seas
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Chapter Notation: This takes place two weeks after the last one.
Chapter 14
"We do appreciate you coming all the way here, Your Holiness." Madara bows to the Pope. "I trust that you had a safe journey."
The Pope nods at him and sighs, shaking his head. "Thank you, but I should be the one inquiring about your safety." Sarutobi's eyes seem to bore into their very souls. "The Lord works in most mysterious ways, but it warms my heart to see that the princes are alive and that Kaguya is being punished for her wicked ways."
The man certainly did love to talk, the elderly Uchiha muses. Oh well. It was somewhat of a requirement, given his position.
"Thank you." Otoko curtsies to him, playing the part of a proper Lady. "We're so honored to have you here and do hope that you enjoy the Coronation Ceremony, we're planning."
The transformation was quite remarkable. Looking at her now, Madara never would have guessed that his granddaughter had spent years being a pirate on the High Seas.
Sarutobi smiles and nods. "Oh I'm quite certain that I shall enjoy it very much." He pauses for a moment and sighs. "High Prince Itachi is still quite young though. He will need a Regent."
"Madara will fill that role." Kakashi smiles charmingly at the other man. "Given his age though, Otoko will step in…should Madara ever be unable to perform his duties."
Itachi and Sasuke both smile at the Pope sweetly. Sweetly enough that the elderly man couldn't help, but feel suspicious. What on Earth were the two adorable princes up to this time?
"Kakashi will also advise us." Itachi bows to the Pope. "He is the main reason why we survived in hiding all these years."
Sasuke nods in agreement as he points to Kakashi. "He's a Noble." The boy truly had no fear. "So his pedigree shouldn't be an issue."
Where had the boy learned the word pedigree from? Sasuke was far too young to worry about such things. Who had he been speaking with?
"Ah. An excellent choice." The Pope nods. "From what I gather, you're of noble blood. Though you're title is far enough away from the throne, that few would be worried about you trying to make a sincere claim to the throne should the unthinkable happen."
That was such a silly phrase in Madara's opinion. If it was so unthinkable, then the Pope wouldn't have thought about it in the first place. Still, the man did have a point about that. Such things did need to be taken into consideration.
"Thank you." Kakashi smiles. "I will do whatever I can to serve England."
The Pope nods again. "Good." He glances at Otoko. "She is lovely, but an unwed woman would have an extremely difficult time being Regent. I'm afraid that much gossip would be spread about our fair lady."
Oh boy. This might not end well. To say such a thing to Okoto was like waving red in front of a bull. Was the man out of his mind?
Kakashi smiles serenely as he looks at Otoko. "Yes, she is very lovely." The man was reaching into his pocket for something. "As much as it pains me to admit it, Your Holiness, you do raise a valid concern. One that I should like very much to address."
Madara honestly didn't see how the silver haired man was going to address that. Otoko was still unmarried. It didn't matter what Kakashi said about it. Facts were facts.
"How would you like to address it?" Otoko watches the other pirate carefully.
She was doing her best, but the pirate woman couldn't fool Madara. 'Tobi' as she used to call herself was rather irritated at Kakashi's antics. It was truly a miracle that the woman hadn't blown her proper act and smacked him.
Kakashi smiles as he gets down on one knee and Otoko gasps. "Well by marrying you, of course." The man shows her the ring he had just pulled out of his pocket. "I know that our courtship has been brief, but I do love you and I believe that it would only be fitting to start our marriage in this new era of happiness.
That sly dog, Madara thinks to himself. Now, there was absolutely no way that Otoko could turn him down. Kakashi had proposed in front of the Pope!
Gai smiles as he looks at the Akatsuki members in the infirmary. Most of their injuries had already healed or were well on their way to doing so, but it never hurt to be cautious about such things.
"Well I'm still missing a finger, but it was worth it." Kakuzu grins. "We're all gonna be right fancylike now."
Right. Well that was one way to look at it, Gai supposed. The Akatsuki Pirates were now set for life.
Kisame nods in agreement and smirks. "The princes all said they'd give us some titles, land, and perhaps even official positions." He tilts his head as he considers it. "They're not entirely sure which positions yet though."
"That's good." Gai smiles at the blue skinned man. "I do hope your chest is feeling better." The pirate had received quite the painful gash on it during the battle.
Frankly, it was nothing short of dumb luck that was the worst that Kisame had received. Still, Gai didn't want to see any of his comrades in pain. Inquiring about their health truly seemed like the least he could do to show that he cared about his comrades.
"Aye, it's doing much better." Kisame nods at him.
Sasori points to his jaw and shrugs. Ah. That was right. The red head's jaw had gotten broken in the fighting.
Konan smiles at him reassuringly. "Don't worry." The woman never let anything ruffle her feathers as far as Gai could tell. "It'll take some time, but you'll be fine."
Naturally, her lover nods in agreement. Nagato was an interesting character to say the least. Gai had never seen someone with so many piercing before.
"She's right." He smiles. "Still, I'm amazed that Deidara didn't blow himself up during the fighting."
The blonde huffs at that. "I know what I'm doing." Clearly, Deidara didn't care for his abilities to be 'insulted' in such a way. "Aye?! Besides, we won. So that's all that really matters."
Hidan touches his face. The man was going to have a scar there for the rest of his life. Gai was quite certain of it.
"A scar seems like a pretty small price to pay for all the bloody money, coming our way." Hidan grins at the thought.
Honestly, the man really did need to have his mouth washed out with soap. Even by pirate standards, his language was quite ghastly.
"Careful." Zetsu shakes his head. "You can use language like that around the moneyed class."
Gai nods in agreement. "He's right, you know?" That was perhaps one of the fastest way they could let everyone know that they didn't really belong in the elite circles of high society.
"Oh shove off." Hidan rolls his eyes.
Otoko was trying her best not to gape at the beautiful ring Kakashi was showing her. The Pope was only a few feet away from the young woman, but not gaping was proving to be a nearly impossible task.
"Y-You're proposing to me?" She couldn't believe it.
Honestly, the former pirate didn't know what was harder to believe. That Kakashi was proposing to her or how beautiful the ring was.
The ring was a golden band, but it was studded with tiny blue diamonds. She hadn't seen many of those before. Even more incredible than the gold and the intricate swirls that were covered by those small diamonds was the center piece though.
"Yes, I am asking you to marry me." Kakashi smiles at her. "A near death experience is a most wonderful way of helping a man to determine what is important to him." The man could be infuriatingly calm sometimes. "I could have lost you during the fighting and I never want that to happen, Otoko. You're too precious to me."
The center piece was a truly massive blue diamond. Rarely, had she seen diamonds of that size. Let alone, that quality.
Otoko should know. She had been a pirate. She fancied herself quite the expert when it came to precious gems.
Still, the sneaky son of a bitch had to be punished. "I feel the same way." Kakashi had to know she couldn't tell him no in front of the Pope. That took all the risk out of proposing.
So she did the only thing she could do. Otoko glomps Kakashi and sends them both rolling on the ground. Much to the Pope's and everyone else's amusement, of course.
"Operation Mermaid was a success." Sasuke laughs next to Itachi.
Sarutobi looks at the young boy in confusion. "What is Operation Mermaid?" He then shakes his head and smiles. "Nevermind. It's such a joy to see two of the Lord's Children so deeply in love. I'm sure that he will smile down upon your union."
Yes, Otoko was sure that their union would be blessed. Though she might make the man walk the plank in shallow water for pulling this prank.
Kaguya was fuming. They should have killed her. How could she have fallen so far?
She was dressed in ridiculously colored jester outfit. Green and red. It looked positively ghastly on her.
"I'm not really sure what good a jester who can't talk is?" One of the nobleman shakes his head.
That pig. Kaguya might be missing her tongue, but she was quite certain that the nobleman would be missing another body part soon. One that he no doubt considered vital.
Anko shakes her head and sighs. "It was more to make her suffer than anything else." She looks at her former friend with sad eyes. "The princes could have killed her, but High Prince Itachi knew that this would wound her more where it mattered most."
Damn it. Even Anko had deserted her. Well at least publicly. Kaguya wasn't entirely sure what position the woman held privately.
The most infuriating thing about the situation was that Kaguya couldn't blame her. Were their roles reversed, the former queen would have done exactly the same thing. At the end of the day, one's self-preservation instincts would kick in.
"Oh well, that makes sense." The nobleman nods.
That bastard. He had benefited enormously from Kaguya's reign and here he was acting as if he hadn't.
Kurenai walks over to them. "I wouldn't wag your tongue so much." She glances at him. "It's only through sheer dumb luck that you haven't been bitten. You didn't raise a sword to help Kaguya during the final battle, but we all know where your loyalties really were."
Ha! Yes, Kaguya had always known that woman had good sense. Apparently, so did the loudmouthed man because the ruby eyed woman's words must have struck a nerve. His fist went flying, but it never landed.
Mostly because the sound of a hiss could be heard. "Damn snake!" The man glares at the Adder.
"I suppose you would damn him." Anko giggles madly. "Because he has far better manners than you. Not to mention, he is better looking. Smart little thing too."
Unfortunately, Kaguya couldn't disagree with that. "Aoda' as everyone had taken to calling him was now Prince Sasuke's beloved pet and bodyguard all wrapped into one.
"I can't believe that thing has been given free reign of the palace." The man seethes. "It could kill someone."
Oh yes, Aoda could kill someone. He had killed someone actually. Danzo.
Kaguya suspected the animal had been trained. It was too well-behaved for that not to be the case. Though she just wasn't' sure who had done it. Whoever had was quite clever and had framed her beautifully.
She'd despise the person to her dying day, but Kaguya had to admire them in a way. They were ruthless and cunning. So was she.
"You're a blooming idiot." Kurenai shakes her head. "Aoda already killed someone. Danzo."
People had stopped calling him the king. Just as they had stopped calling her the queen. It seemed that there would truly be no end to the insults.
"You're a vile wench who doesn't know her place." The man hisses.
He wasn't the only one hissing though. Aoda puffs up and bares his fangs at the man and to Kaguya's surprise, he actually leaves.
"I think that might have been the only time in his entire life, where he did the intelligent thing." She shakes her head in amusement.
Kakashi still couldn't believe that Otoko had tackled him in front of the Pope. Thank goodness that he seemed more entertained by that than anything. That could have easily gone the other way.
"I can see when two people are in love." Sarutobi chuckles. "Go on both of you." He smiles. "Go and plan your wedding. I'm quite certain that the princes, Madara, and I can begin planning for the Coronation just fine."
Madara grins at that and suddenly, Kakashi found himself feeling rather terrified. Goodness only knew, what that man was plotting. He had years to think about this.
"If you're certain." Kakashi smiles as he and Otoko stand up. "We wouldn't want Your Holiness to feel disrespected."
"Oh I'm not feeling disrespected." The Pope smiles at them. "This is wondrous news and a royal wedding will go a long way towards reassuring the people that Kaguya's and Danzo's reign of terror is truly over."
True enough. Kakashi couldn't even believe that was the case himself sometimes. Every day that he woke up and knew that the princes were about to reclaim their rightful place in the world, well it was such a surreal feeling.
For far too long, each day could have been their last. It was only by God's Grace (or sheer dumb luck depending on one's interpretation), that they had made it this far.
"Thank you." Otoko smiles at him. "You're most kind and gracious, Your Holiness."
His future wife could put on a good show when she wanted to, Kakashi muses. That was probably one of the main reasons why she had gotten away with her ruse for so long. Otoko was an excellent actress.
"You're welcome, My Child." Sarutobi grins. "Now, be off with you. I'm quite certain that you have much to do."
"Indeed, we do." She smiles. "Perhaps, we could have our wedding on the same day as the princes. Everyone will already be there and both events will be doubly blessed, I should say?"
What madness was this woman suggesting? Otoko couldn't possibly be serious. She wanted Itachi to be crowned King, Sasuke to be crowned Prince, and them to be married all on the same day? There was no way that such a feat could be managed.
"That sounds like fun." Sasuke beams at them.
Dear Lord, what had they all gotten Kakashi into? Couldn't they see how bloody absurd the notion was?
Madara nods in agreement. "It does sound like a splendid time." He smiles. "At my age, it's not a sure bet that I'll make it to either. So I should think that the sound, the better."
"I agree wholeheartedly." Sarutobi smiles as Kakashi internally groans.
There was no getting out of this now. He had been overruled. Damn it.
"Very well." He smiles at them. "In that case, Otoko and I have much to discuss and not a terribly long time to do so in." Kakashi offers her his arm. "Shall we be off, My Dear?"
Otoko smiles and takes his arm as the two of them walk off together. Honestly, Kakashi should have seen this coming. Of course, a pirate queen would be sneaky.
Kurenai blinks a few minutes later when she sees Kakashi and Otoko approaching them. She had heard tales of both of them. Two nobles who escaped the downfall of the Uchiha Family and became pirates afterwards.
"Good day to you, Lord Kakashi and Lady Otoko." She smiles at them.
Of course, that last part was something that wasn't spoken of openly. No one could really prove it either, but Kurenai knew the truth. Those two were pirates and she'd be stupid to say so out loud. Let the rumors die out on their own. She was just glad that the princes had reclaimed their thrones.
"Good day." Kakashi smiles at her. "I do hate to impose on you, but we could use your assistance."
It didn't escape Kurenai's notice that Kakashi and Otoko were both glaring at Kaguya. Who wouldn't in their position though? Goodness only knows the Hell that woman had put them and their loved ones through.
"Well, I should like to help you in whatever manner I can." She smiles at them more as Aoda nods his head approvingly.
There were times that Kurenai swore that snake understood English. Just how intelligent were Adders anyway? Apparently, the answer was very.
Otoko giggles and smiles. "Well you see, we are to be married." The young woman promptly displays a beautiful ring and kisses Kakashi's cheek. "We'll need help to plan our wedding though. We can't possibly manage it all by ourselves."
Oh that was wonderful news! A wedding! Yes, that was exactly what this castle needed.
"I'd love to." She nods at Otoko. "I'm certain that the castle's seamstresses and tailors will have a grand time designing your gown.. You don't need to worry about a thing." The thought of organizing a wedding was making her feel rather giddy.
"Just make sure to throw those flowers at the right person." Anko winks. "As long as you keep that in mind, I'd like to help as well."
The woman was positively outrageous, Kurenai thinks to herself. Oh well. It couldn't hurt to have another pair of hands on hand to help with organizing a Royal Wedding.
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind." Otoko beams at them.
Kakashi looks a little uncomfortable as he coughs. "Oh and there is just one more thing." Uh oh. Why didn't Kurenai have a good feeling about this?
What could possibly cause a grown man like Kakashi to fidget like that? Nothing good. Surely. For goodness sakes, the man was a pirate. Kurenai highly doubted that he made a habit of fidgetting.
"What is it?" Kurenai smiles at them.
It was his lady who spoke next. "We're planning to have our wedding at the coronation." She smiles at her sweetly.
Thud! The ruby eyed woman wasn't proud of it, but it was enough to knock her right over onto her backside.
It wasn't just her though. Anko fell over in shock as well and for good reason. They had to be insane.
"Are the two of you utterly mad?!" She blinks. "It can't be done."
Kakashi shakes his head and smiles. "Otoko is most assuredly mad, but I love her anyway and I'm quite certain we'll make it work." He pauses for a moment and then adds. "Somehow."