Good day.
I hope you enjoy the read.
"Life? Life's pretty much a knife fight in a dirt-floored bar.
And if they get you down,
you best get back up."
Itsuki opened his eyes lazily when a seagull insisted on poking his window's sill.
"Useless birds…" His eyelids felt heavy as concrete and just as rough on his eyes. The armor he discarded in the corner of the room was reflecting the sunrays coming through the curtains, creating spots of light on the opposite wall. His body protested with every move he made to get out of bed. Out of habit, the young lord opened his mouth to call for the usual retinue of servants that helped him get through his morning routine, but immediately bit his words as reality set back in.
If the sun was up, that could only mean the next step of their journey would start soon. He bent down, picking up his armor's components and fitting them together on his body. This was beneath him. All of it – the bed he couldn't properly rest in, the room that reeked like mold, the attire he needed to wear in order to pass as a common soldier, the shinobi who escorted him. Uchiha Sasuke came to mind again, as he strapped his armguards tightly. Sooner or later, he would find a way to wipe that smug expression off his face. For now, though, his presence was something needing to be endured.
He picked up the katana resting against the bedtable last, securing it into his sash, then ran his hands through his hair, gathering as many locks as he could into a short ponytail. Shouldering the brown leather bag he kept a few personal belongings in, he made his way towards the door.
Just as he expected, one of his escorts was waiting for him. The Inuzuka was leaning on the wall at the end of the hallway, looking bored out of his skull, while his four-legged partner lounged at his feet.
"Where is the rest of your team?" Itsuki started making his way towards the flight of stairs leading to the ground floor.
"Waiting for you." Kiba tucked away the kunai he was balancing to pass the time and without another word started descending - Akamaru followed.
[…]
"Finest silk this side of the Fire Nation!"
"Fresh fish over here! Get your fresh fish!"
"Spices! Give your food some flavor with my wonderful selecti-"
"Finely tanned hides all the way from the north!"
Itsuki was just about ready to explode with anger as he continuously tried to find room to pass amongst the mass of people shoving and shouting over each other, in an attempt to get the best deal that came with the newest moored ship. The sight of a busy market was not something new to him, of course, but he usually had an escort of soldiers clearing the way and letting everyone know who was coming through. By contrast, the four shinobi guarding him were weaving their way through the crowd without any effort and letting him suffer the indignity of trying to keep up while commoners bumped into him and traders tried their best to lure him to their stalls.
Relief came when he saw the Uchiha turn right onto a pier at the end of which a small ship – most likely a Djong, by its size – had cast its anchor. Summoning his last vestiges of restraint, he pushed through the crowd and hastened his pace, doing the best he could to ignore the heat of the midday sun and catch up.
Getting further from the chaos of the market, Itsuki focused his attention on the transport waiting for them. A tar smeared vessel swayed ever so slightly with the waves passing underneath it - its single mast protruding from the center of its shape, reaching about as high as the ship was long. Soon enough its name came into view, written in white painted letters across the front of its portside.
"Hold there." An imposing man stepped to block their path. The large wooden crate he had slung over his shoulder didn't seem to cause him any strain. "This pier is ours and we ain't accepting visitors. You and your friends best turn about and head back the way you came."
Sasuke stopped advancing, though he did not say anything.
"You deaf? I told you to get!" The bald sailor chucked the cargo and got closer, standing a full head taller than his target. "Don't make me ask you again."
A guttural laugher echoed from aboard the moored ship. "Oh, I wouldn't take that fight if I were you, Gou." The man who popped up from behind the ship's railing had a full head of gray hair to go with his thick beard. His most distinctive feature, however, was the black patch that covered his right eye. "Master Sasuke… a pleasure to see you again."
"I see you have a new crew member." Came the calm reply.
"I'm getting old, you know? Every now and again an extra set of hands is welcome." As he walked down the plank connecting the ship to the pier, it quickly became obvious that his hair was the only giveaway that the man in front of them had passed his prime. Despite the shorter stature by comparison to Gou, his physique was no less impressive, boasting broad shoulders and tightly wound muscles. "Please forgive Gou. He's a good lad. Just a tad short on wits when it comes to starting fights."
"No offense taken."
"Good. Good. I'm glad that's the case. No reason to get this whole trip started on the wrong foot, eh?" As he spoke, his eyes glanced over Sasuke's team "And speaking of bad impressions… Where are my manners? Koya Masuda, at your service, young lords and lady." He bowed without breaking eye contact. "Koya One-eye is how I'm known arounds these parts, for obvious reasons..." With a wide smile on his face, he pointed his index finger at the eye patch. "… but you can just call me Koya. I'm the captain of this here ship."
Almost as a unit, team Kurenai mirrored his gesture and stated their names, with a perplexed look on their faces.
"Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, feel free to board. Don't be shy. I know it isn't much to look at, but believe me when I say that the Red Weasel is as reliable as they come."
Although taken aback by the colorful personality, the approving nod from Sasuke put the three shinobi in motion, with Itsuki hesitantly in tow.
"Ain't much until we can set sail, Master Sasuke. As soon as we finish loading these last supplies, we can be on our way." Having said that, he grabbed the one Gou dropped and flung it on his shoulder. "I'll show you and your team to your quarters."
[…]
Wind battered the large sail as the Weasel heaved across the body of water, its bow cutting a path through the waves.
"Make sure those ropes are tightened, Gou! The mistress is kind to us for now, but I don't want to have any surprises if she changes her mind." Koya stood atop the stern of the ship, barking orders at his underling, one hand on his hip, while the other rested on the ship's wheel.
"The mistress?" Kiba walked out of his cabin, joining Hinata on deck.
"That's what the old man calls the sea." A shrill voice came from behind the crates that had not yet been moved into the belly of the vessel.
"Who the hell are you?" Kiba's eyes moved to meet the shirtless child that jumped from his hiding spot. He couldn't have been older than twelve.
"I…" he paused to flex a scrawny arm, while his grin occupied more and more of his face "…am the first mate of the Red Weasel – fastest ship on the Chigiri Sea and-" He choked on his words when a broom hit him square between his shoulder blades, almost causing him to fall face first onto the wooden boards.
"Damn it, boy! I told you to stay off my ship!" Koya's voice boomed louder than usual, one hand still glued to the wheel, while the other stuck in mid-air, clearly the launch point of the object.
"Yeah, well… you can't keep a seaman off his boat now, can you?" the boy tried to put on a defiant face, but his awkward attempts at rubbing the spot where the broom impacted skewed his features into anything but that.
A massive hand grabbed the back of his neck, causing him to immediately freeze. Kiba and Hinata stared wide-eyed at the unfolding scene, as Gou lifted the boy entirely off his feet and turned to face the captain.
"Koya… Who is the child?" Sasuke joined the group on deck, alerted by the commotion.
"Ugh… He's an orphan from the Land of Water. Goes by the name of Junichiro. I fished him out of the sea about a year ago after a particularly rough storm capsized a small dingy near one of the islands." The man finally let go of the wheel and started making his way towards Gou. "Apparently he was a stowaway onboard that ship as well. He kept saying he wanted to sail to the Land of Fire and escape the life of a street rat, so I kept him on as a swabbie." He prompted Gou to release the boy and lowered himself to the level of his eyes. "Unfortunately, he seems to have suffered the loss of his hearing, because I specifically remember having told him to stay ashore on this trip…"
"Well, my hearing is back …" the boy ruffled his dirty-blonde hair, ignoring the bulging vein on Koya's temple "… and the port is so far away by now, it'd be a shame to turn back just to drop me off. Guess you're stuck with me, old man." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
"I could always have Gou over here throw you overboard…"
Junichiro vaulted back half a meter and immediately put his hands up, fingers curdled into fists. "I'd like to see him try! Slippery as an eel, I am, and hit twice as hard!" He punched the air towards his apparent rival.
Gou threw his head back and let out a loud burst of laughter. "Eels can't punch, squirt."
"Well…" the boy lost his confidence for a second "…then I'll bite…" he quickly corrected "…twice as hard!"
Koya rolled his eyes as he got back to a straight posture. "I apologize, Master Sasuke. The boy is right. If we turn now to drop him back in harbor, we'd lose a full day."
"It's fine." Sasuke's nod put the captain back at ease.
"I'll make sure he doesn't bother you or any of your companions. In fact, he'll be too busy scrubbing the decks clean for the entire trip."
Noticing the change of tone in his captain's voice, Junichiro made a dash for the broom and proceeded to put it to use, though the satisfied grin on his face remained.
"Master Kiba…"
"Hey, there's really no need to call me that, you know?" The Inuzuka felt awkward at hearing the moniker but turned his full attention away from the kid and onto Koya.
"If you could join me below deck for a moment… I'd like to discuss a little matter involving your four-legged friend." He opened the door to the living quarters and beckoned Kiba to follow.
"Um… yeah, sure."
[…]
Taking advantage of the captain's absence, Junichiro did not skip the chance to approach the two shinobi left on deck.
"So… what's your deal?" his voice was low, checking to make sure that Gou was still busy with his task.
"I'm sorry?" both of their eyes fixated on him, though Hinata was the only one who spoke.
"Why do you want to go to the Land of Water?" he came a few steps closer.
"Aren't you supposed to be busy scrubbing the deck?" Sasuke scowled, more intrigued at the boy's courage, rather than upset by his disregard for orders.
"I am!" The broom in his hands brushed the same spot over and over. "So why do you want to go to the Land of Water?" he persisted.
"We are merchants." Hinata admitted, seeing nothing wrong with giving him that piece of information, given that he would find out sooner or later in the coming days.
"Nah you're not. I've seen merchants. The old man ferries them on this route quite often. They're old and fat and barely get out of their quarters for most of the trip." He took a long look at both, but his eyes lingered more on her, in particular. "You, on the other hand look nothing like that. In fact, you look more like a princess than anything else." The broom in his hands stopped moving as he rubbed his chin at the sudden revelation.
"What?" Hinata felt her cheeks get warm, though she did her best to keep her composure.
"Beautiful, tall, thin, dark hair and white skin, like milk." He mumbled to himself. "Yes, yes. It's exactly like in the stories the older children would tell when I was living on the streets. So that would make you the prince, then?" He gave Sasuke the same measuring treatment. "Yeah, I guess you're pretty enough to be the prince of something. Wait! Are you two running away together?" his eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Your families hate each other and the only way for you to be together was to escape to the Water Nation, right?! That's why you have the other two and the soldier with you. Loyal servants who swore an oath to protect you with their lives…"
Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, at the secret the boy was convincing himself of having uncovered.
"Junichiro, I think you're taking this a bit too far…" Hinata raised her hands and waved them in denial, too flustered to observe her team leader's reaction.
"Jun! What did the captain tell you about pestering the clients?!" Gou's intervention worked akin to a whip on the boy, because the next second his broom was back in hand and hard at work.
"Pst…" The boy turned his head to whisper over his shoulder "Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me." A complicitous wink was the last think he shot in the direction of the stunned grownups before he moved on to another part of the deck.
The door to the living quarters opened up again and Shino stepped out, one hand in his pocket, as was his custom.
"Akamaru seems to have had a disagreement with the ship's cat, below deck. Kiba and the captain are trying to find a solution to keep them appa-" he paused "Hinata, is something wrong?"
"N-no. Why do you ask?" she jolted, hoping to sound convincing.
"Your face is red." He glanced at the child who scrubbed the wooden boards nervously, then back at her, deciding to leave the discussion of his presence for another time. "If it is a case of sea-sickness, there is appropriate medication amongst the supplies we brought with us."
"I'll be fine. Please, don't worry about it." She insisted.
"As you wish. I'll check on Lord Fuku, then. He has not made an appearance since he settled in his preferred quarter. If he is also sick, he should be made aware that we can offer him aid."
Hinata breathed a sigh of relief when the cabin door closed behind her team mate. Her eyes caught Sasuke leaning on the ship's rail and she mimicked his gesture, trying to get comfortable.
"The boy has quite the imagination." She swallowed hard, having intended for the words to sound casual, as opposed to the meek tone they came out in.
"Clearly a superior cover story than the one we came up with." He mused, letting it sink in that he was joking. "I'm almost tempted to keep it, if only to see Itsuki's reaction to being addressed as our loyal servant."
Hinata did her best to suppress a laugh. "I didn't know Uchiha Sasuke had a sense of humor."
"It is essential to the etiquette code in the Land of Something." This time he got what he was aiming for, when Hinata's endearing laugh reached his ears.
From the other side of the Red Weasel's deck Junichiro noticed the two shinobi snickering. His chest swelled with pride at his own genius, for having figured out their secret. But that meant he needed to keep the ship extra clean for the trip. After all, it wasn't every day that they had a prince and princess on board…
That is all for now. As you might have noticed, this chapter is shorter in length by about 30% compared to the previous ones. I am undecided at the moment whether to continue with longer chapters, but slower updates, or shorter ones, yet potentially faster uploads. If you have a preference, do let me know.
Criticism and opinions are welcome.
Take care.