Note: I know nothing about boats.... NOTHING!
Chapter 15: Haplessness
"Oi, Sasuke-kun! C'mere a second." Yoshitaka called down to the lower deck from the ship's bow.
Naruto grumbled and pushed a mop over the boat's gleaming exterior. The sun flared over head like a spotlight, making the chipped, white surface blinding. Despite the occasional costal breeze that brushed by him every so often, Naruto was dotted with sweat. Sakura set down a pail of water for him and he haphazardly shoved the mop into it, spraying dirty water over the glimmering paneling.
He glared as Sasuke answered Yoshitaka's summons.
"This is the harpoon launcher." Yoshitaka put a hand on a large contraption plastered to the front of the boat. "I'm going to be steering, so you'll man it for the remainder of the voyage. You load it like this..." Yoshitaka pulled a level to the side and down, shoved a harpoon into the barrel, and pulled the lever back up again."... then you aim and fire pressing these buttons. You can shoot ten times without reloading." Sasuke nodded in understanding "You need to be careful and alert. Shoot all the sharks that come within 2 meters of the boat. I'll tell you when we reach their territory."
"Excuse me, Yoshitaka-san." Sakura looked up from scrubbing a rail. "I never knew sharks were aggressive enough to attack a ship."
Yoshitaka jumped down to the lower deck where Sakura and Naruto were working.
"Normal sharks aren't, but these aren't normal sharks." He explained. "These were raised and trained by a prominent, Hidden Mist, advanced bloodline clan. The Hoshigaki clan. Unfortunately, they were nearly wiped out in the Ninja Wars. With no masters, these 'Super Sharks' left the Hidden Mist and created their own territory out here in the sea."
"I see." Sakura replied. "But then, why haven't the clan's survivors rounded them up?"
"Survivor. There was only one. He was a promising Mist Ninja, but he disappeared over seven years ago. Don't you worry, cutie." Yoshitaka leaned toward Sakura and winked. "I'll protect you from the sharks."
The metal pail ricocheted off Yoshitaka's head, covering him in dirty, brown water.
"Ow! What the-?"
"Stop flirting with her, you perverted old man!" Naruto blared.
"Who're you calling an old man!? I'm 25!"
"That's still too old to be flirting with her!"
"You little brat!" Yoshitaka raised the empty bucket to throw it at Naruto but Sakura grabbed his hand.
"Yoshitaka-san! Please don't hurt him." She begged.
Yoshitaka look at her out of the corner of his eye and sighed, lowering the pail.
"You better thank your cute little friend here. Cause I would've beat the crap out of you."
I'd like to see you try, Naruto hissed to himself.
Yoshitaka turned back to the front of the ship and climbed the stairs to the landing.
"Get back to work, Swabby. We'll be leaving in a couple hours. I want to be able to eat off that deck."
Naruto ground his teeth and resisted the urge to impale the man with his mop. Sakura moved closer to him.
"Are you okay, Naruto?" She asked concernedly.
"I'm fine!" He growled, but she knew better. Sakura sighed as Naruto recklessly swung the mop around.
-
The boat set off at 6pm sharp. The bright, sultry sun shifted lazily above a sea of a similar color, as though trying to decide whether to set or not. Sakura knew it wouldn't go down for another hour. Days were getting longer; the still quiet of the night was getting louder. Spring was almost over and the warm summer nights had oozed into the hemisphere.
The grumbling of the boat's jittered Sakura's nerves as she looked out into the indecisive sun. It winked behind the masts of boats as Yoshitaka steered them out of the harbor.
Naruto and Sasuke stood on either side of her, each in his own silence, Sasuke's nostalgic and Naruto's irritated. Once they had left the harbor and gone out to open sea, Yoshitaka hollered down from the helm.
"Sakura-chan! Would you go fix dinner?"
Sakura brushed a flimsy strand of hair out of her face.
"Okay!" She moved off toward the kitchen.
"Wait." Sasuke called from behind her. "I'll help. Naruto?"
The blonde's black hair tossed in the wind.
"I'm fine out here!" He snapped.
Sakura and Sasuke exchanged looks.
"Okay then." Sasuke answered and followed Sakura into the galley.
A gust snipped at the ends of Naruto's yellow shirt. Even with the summer weather, the ocean breeze was still a bit frigid. He huddled against the wind and cursed inwardly.
Stupid Yoshitaka-jisan! How come Sasuke gets to shoot the sharks while I have to scrub the stupid ship!? I'm just as good as he is! It's always Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke! All because that idiot showed off. I could've hit that "A" twice as good as him! A hundred times as good!... Okay, so maybe not. Sasuke is the best sniper. But that doesn't make him better than me! Stupid, stupid, stupid!
Naruto sighed and looked over the railing into the water. The sea was too unstable for him to see his reflection, but he knew it was there, under all that white surf and black abyss. Salty sea spray spattered his face and he leaned back. His stomach grumbled unpleasantly, but his pride grumbled louder.
In front of him, the sun made up its mind and sank into the rumbling, indigo sea. The moon took over, spreading its vibrant rays across the night's sky. It painted the universe a deep blue, including the wind. Naruto shivered against it and felt something warm drape around his shoulders, something warmer press against his right arm. He turned his head to look.
"Sakura-chan."
"Hi." She whispered. She had thrown a large, puffy jacket over the both of them to shield against the cold. Her warmth came like a candle in the darkness. "Hungry?"
She handed him a cup full of hot soup. Naruto pushed his arm through one of the jacket's sleeves and accepted the token. His numb fingers sizzled against the Styrofoam.
How does she always know...? Naruto smiled spitefully at her.
"Thank you."
He put the cup to his lips and drank down the chowder. It heated his chest and thawed his stomach. He let out a breath and it came out in stream.
Sakura gently put her cold cheek against his. It was soft like a silk pillow. Naruto's whole face heated like a furnace.
Waaah! She's so cute!
"S-sakura-chan?"
"Why don't you tell me what's wrong."
Naruto twitched.
Seriously. How does she know!? Is she stalking me?!
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't lie. You've been acting prickly since yesterday." She reached around and zipped up the jacket, trapping them both inside.
"This isn't that 'Forbidden Lovers' pshyco-thingy, is it?"
"Stupid. I know that technique doesn't work on you anymore. So, what's wrong? It has to do with Yoshitaka-san and Sasuke, doesn't it?"
She is stalking me!
Naruto sighed and looked out over the water.
"What wrong with me, Sakura-chan? Why don't people take me seriously, like they do with Sasuke? Everyone's always impressed with him. They always like him best."
Naruto looked sadly out onto the moonlit water. He could feel Sakura smile.
"Is that what you think?" She whispered. "That everyone likes Sasuke best?"
"Well, isn't it obvious? I mean, he was always the most popular. Lee, Neji, Shikamaru, everyone, they all looked up to him from the beginning. Even you."
"That was a long time ago, Naruto."
"But this Yoshitaka guy-"
"Naruto, sure, Sasuke comes off as very mature and controlled, and this is shown even more when he's next to you, a loudmouth brat. But those are just first impressions, Naruto, they don't mean a thing. All those people, Lee, Neji, Shikamaru, they all have a higher respect for you. In fact, they all respect you more than Sasuke. Yoshitaka-san doesn't know you like we know you."
Naruto gave her a sideways glance.
"You mean it? You're not just lying to make me feel better?"
"Stupid, real friends don't lie to each other."
Naruto's face dropped.
"Then you meant it when you said you hated me?"
"Eh? When'd I say that?"
"When we first became a team."
"Stupid, that was a long time ago. I didn't know you back then, like Yoshitaka-san doesn't know you now. Of course, now you're one of my best friends." She squeezed him tightly. "And that's the truth."
"So, if I worked all day over a stove and made some really bad ramen, you'd tell me it was bad?"
"Yeah, but I'd eat it anyway."
"Really?" Naruto looked at the cup in his hand. "In that case... this soup is nasty." He put the cup to his lips and poured more down his throat.
Sakura was struck with shock.
"Eh?! Are you serious!?"
"Oh yeah." Naruto finished it off. "The ramen on Biscuit Island tasted better than this. I was going to wait for you to leave, and then dump it overboard"
Sakura puffed her cheeks and looked away.
"That's mean!"
"But it's the truth." He held up his empty cup. "May I have more?"
Sakura looked back at him. He could see her face turn pink as she smiled.
Sakura ducked under the jacket, slipped out of it and took his cup.
"You don't have to eat it if you don't like it." She grumbled.
"But I'm hungry!" He called at her back
Sadly, he watched her walk away. He placed a hand over the seal on his navel, over Kyuubi, and his heart throbbed.
I'm sorry Sakura-chan. I lie to you everyday.
-
Something must have been wrong with the temperature, because the next morning was hotter than Harem no Jutsu. Naruto peeled his mesh undershirt off and dumped his dirty water bucket over his head.
"Eww..." Sakura winced as the grimy water dripped down his bare back.
"What?" He glared playfully at her.
"Nothing." Sakura pulled her white mesh top over her head. Naruto gawked; it was the kind of thing you only saw in movies. Her arms stretched the white mesh up over her head, but it caught on her red halter. The two layers rose together, over the hips her shorts did little to hide, her tight, flat stomach, her bellybutton, and up to her rib cage, where the thin rows were barely visible. The red halter stopped frustratingly close to her breasts and for a moment, Naruto thought he saw a glimpse of a white bra. Sakura yanked the white shirt through her hair and swished the black/pinkish locks before tossing the discarded shirt into a heap. She pulled the red halter shirt back down around her waist before noticing Naruto's slacking jaw.
"What?" She looked at him askew.
Naruto snapped out of his trance.
"N-nothing!" He silently thanked his lucky stars he could travel with such a girl. He recalled their conversation the night before and how she snuggled her cheek against his.
I am the luckiest guy in the world!
"Oi, swabby!" Yoshitaka's nagging ripped him out of his fantasy.
"Don't call me 'swabby'!" Naruto snapped.
"Whatever. Stop ogling and get back to work!"
Naruto grumbled and grabbed his mop.
The sun flared overhead like a sunlamp. Sasuke, kicking back in a chair before the harpoon launcher, his shirts and shoes discarded, reclined lazily against the salty scent of the sea. He propped his feet up on the launcher and watched the water for "super sharks". Nothing. Sasuke stared down his nose at the water; half an hour into shark territory and not even a slimy gray fin could be spotted in the deep blue. The water lashed the side of the boat lifeless. Sweat beaded down the side of Sasuke's face.
Almost as sudden as a mood swing, Naruto felt jittery and alive. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled like a cactus. His skin tingled. The slight noise of Sakura folding her shirt behind him made him jump.
What the hell is wrong with me? Naruto put an exasperated hand on his sweat covered forehead.
Something huge lashed against the boat's right side. The ship buckled violently. Sasuke gripped his seat keep from falling off. He heard Sakura cry out as she hit the railing, Yoshitaka grunt from the other side of the boat, and a loud splash as Naruto tumbled into the water.
The boat rocked and evened out on the water. Sakura threw herself at the railing.
"Naruto!" she screamed at the water. He was nowhere amongst the waves. She searched the black and white brine frantically. She cursed her eyes. He was there! She just couldn't see him!
Damn it, Naruto! Come back up! Her mind raced. She could feel her heart lodge itself in her throat, thumping like an earthquake.
Naruto burst through the water like blood from a wound gasping for breath.
"Idiot!" Sakura snapped as her heart settled back into her chest. "I thought a shark had eaten you!"
Naruto laughed sheepishly.
"Give me your hand." Sakura reached her arm down to him.
Naruto did as she said and extended his left arm upward.
"Sakura!" Sasuke hollered from the upper deck.
"Huh?" Sakura turned to see her companion glaring fearfully. Sasuke's dark eyes lit up with horror as he looked at her.
What? What did I do?
She was wrong. His intense stare wasn't fixed on her. She followed his gaze back to the water, in time to see Naruto splash back beneath the waves. He disappeared again into the endless blue.
"C'mon Naruto, stop playing games." Sakura craned over the rail, but stopped short.
The dark, indigo waves began to turn a crimson red.
Author's Notes: ahhh... Jaw's references. How... cliche...:sighs: You guys don't honestly think that's a cliffhanger, do you? I would also like to point out for all the SasuSaku fans out there, while I, personally, am a die hard NaruSaku fan, this isn't a NaruSaku fic either. The fic was planned in a state of non-bias.
I'm overjoyed by the ammount of feedback I got on the last chapter. Twice as many reviews as the once before it! Looks like Naruto Unlimited is getting popular. You guys have no idea what that does to my self-esteem. :) Thank you readers!
About Sakura "Stalking" Naruto: Sakura isn't stalking him (lol, that's Hinata's job :P ), but you could probably figure that out, so why am I writing this? While I was going over the manga before I started this fic, I came across an idea that would be really cool. I figured that each of the three had their own "sixth-sense", something they had in common but different variations of (All the other Teams have something like this, but I couldn't find it in Team 7, so I came up with this.) Sasuke has a warrior's sense, Naruto has animal instinct and Sakura has a woman's intuition. Make sense? I tried to show that in previous chapters, but I don't think it came across as well as it should have. If you noticed it before this side note: CONGRADULATIONS! You're a genius! If you didn't: CONGRADULATIONS! You're just as intellegent as me.... btw, This chapter showed both Sakura's intuition and Naruto's instinct.
About the end: I have recieved several comments regarding the end of Naruto Unlimited. Yes, there is an end! like I've said before, this fic is not sponatneous. Everything (or most of it, at least) I'm writing now has some impact on either a large battle or the ending battle itself. In fact, I wrote the ending before I even wrote the beginning. This whole "middle" is being written for the sole purpose of making the ending impactful. But fear not! We have a long way to go before we get there. ;)
Next Chapter: What is it?! Kyuubi's seal shines through as our heros reach Sorano!