Title: 31 Stories in 31 Days
Day: 3
Fandom: Naruto
Prompt: Use this line - A stiff breeze foretold the coming season of cold and ice
Characters: Naruto, Sparrow, Kakashi, Princess Yukie
Story World: Naruto Gains a Tutor (WIP story)
Word count: 1173
Warnings: A smack down of the verbal kind
AN: To Explain these: I am posting my writings for 31 Days of 31 Stories. For 31 days in August and January, I am writing a short story set to a prompt. All of these stories are set in worlds that I have been writing on for the last little while. For a long while in some cases. Each story will have the story world in them though. So please, be patient with me.
It was with a stiff breeze that blew across the nearly frozen ocean that foretold the coming season of cold and ice that told them that they were close to the land that they were headed for. Pulling up the neckline of his jacket, Naruto scowled at the sky above them, shaking his head. "It is freezing," he muttered.
"It is close to Yuki no Kuni," Sparrow drawled. He smirked at his warm blooded student. Due to the fact that he carried the Kyuubi, he tended to run hotter then most. That along with the fact that the Uzumaki's were called hot blooded for a reason. Some of them could even create explosive tags that could level miles around them when they used their blood as they had found out when digging out Kushina-sama's things.
Naruto grunted and shook his head.
"Why are we doing this again? We all know that she's gonna ditch out the moment that she thinks that she can. As it is, there's already word of people with strange machinery that helps them to fight out there digging around in places that they shouldn't," Naruto said. Sparrow snorted.
"Tsunade wants the land to be taken back one way or another. It's becoming clear that Kazahana Doto is becoming a thorn in everyone's side and she needs to stop running from her past," Sparrow stated. "So we're going to be the assholes who force her to face her past and take up her place as head. Tsunade already told her off and explained just how she would end up if she didn't. Bitter, used up and alone with her country falling into disrepair and controlled by someone outside of Yukigakure," he explained.
Naruto sighed, shaking his head as one of his hidden clones popped, showing the Princess escaping over the frozen land and trying to runf or it. They watched as she was carried back ten minutes later by another clone, hogtied and screaming behind a gag. "At this rate, you'll need to put a damn tracker tag on her," he stated, standing up and adjusting his winter fighting kimono.
"Yeah, so I can see that," Sparrow sighed. He hopped over the edge of the ship and walked over to where the clone handed her off with a grumble of a stupid, spoiled bitch before he popped in a puff of smoke. "He is right you know. You're spoiled. You've done absolutely jack shit for your people and when this is over, you're going to have to explain just how much of a wimp your father raised. You are a full grown woman acting as if you've never done something for the betterment of your people. Oh wait! You haven't," he hissed as he hauled her back into her room. "While you've been running away from the duties that you agreed to when you were first saved by us, your people have been suffering under a tyrant who will not stop until you have been found. Even if he does die before you are found, someone will take his place and continue his job," he stated as he dropped her onto her bed. "I'm going to leave you here for the next hour. And I want you to really think about your actions and just who you are betraying."
With his say done, he turned around and stalked out of the room, leaving her to stare after him with wide eyes.
Sparrow stopped outside of the door and took a deep breath as Kakashi frowned, hands tucked into his pocket as he stared at the door. "You know that it is not your fault that she dropped off the face of the world the way she did, right?" he asked.
Kakashi huffed, giving him a look. "Yes, I know. She forced her guardian to change her name and go into hiding, stating that she didn't want to be found before it was time. Now we just know that it was because she was running from her promises. To Konohagakure. To herself. To her people." He paused. "To her father. I heard that promise. He told her as they were parting to come back and save their village from his brother. To give them hope. And she ran. She keeps trying to run and keeps trying to break that promise. I can't help but hope that the man in death is not heartbroken over his daughter's actions."
Kakashi shook his head and left the hallway, Sparrow watching him with a frown hidden by his mask. He knew that the other man held promises in high regards, so for the woman in the room to try so hard to break all of hers must have been making him hurt something fierce.
Inside the room, Koyuki stopped trying to fight her way out of the rope around her at the words that came through the door. The blond that had appeared to hold a seal to her door looked quite unhappy with her. He removed the seal when Kakashi's footsteps had faded.
"You are an oath breaker so it seems. Why Tsunade-sama is trying to push you to care about this shit, I will never understand. You're not a princess. You're an emotionless robot who will happily toss her people over the railing of a ship if it meant that you could save yourself," he said, voice cold. "Once we have taken care of your uncle as the mission states, and found what your father had created, you will be free to hide your head in a hole once more. Until they, you will stay put. Try to run again and I will make sure that you can't leave a certain space with a seal that will knock you the fuck out."
She winced at the words, the cold promise coating them, watching as he slipped out and left down the hall, the words echoing in her brain. Her father had always told her that when a person had the power to make a change, they should. If you made promises, you kept them. If you saw someone in need of your help, if you could, you gave it. And here she was, spitting in the face of all of those teachings by running away.
Sparrow was correct. She was a coward and she was insulting those who had died to make sure that she got out of the village without being found or killed.
She barely acknowledged when Sparrow returned and got her loose, allowing her to eat dinner. She continued to think over things and when it came time to prove herself, she helped the nins that were there for her, all of them staring in awe at the warmth generator that would help her land become not just the Land of Snow, but the Land of Spring.
The approving smile that was sent her way from a blond haired, blue eyed male made her feel like she had done the right thing for the first time in her life.
