Chapter Three: Seasickness

"Yamanaka, Uchiha, Naru, Yoshizumi, Tsuchi, Akizuki, Shikimachi, Abumi, Kidaumaru, Kimimaro. Afternoon watch. Check the sails, scrub the deck, and make sure NOTHING goes wrong. You will be under second mate Kabuto-san. The rest of you will be under first mate Kisame-sama-off to the forecastle with you lot. You've got the next watch after Kabuto's team."

The crew scrambled back and forth as the port they had left became no more than a small dot in the distance before disappearing completely. As Sakura learned, on a ship, there were different watches, where a set of sailors were "on duty" and took care of everything that was necessary. That mean cleaning, cooking, cutting, tying, and all the other typical tasks that needed to be done aboard a ship.

There were seven watches in all, each one being from two to four hours long. The afternoon watch, which was the one Sakura had, lasted from noon to four. From four to six was the first dog watch, and from six to eight was the second dog watch. Night watch was from eight to midnight, which then became midwatch until four in the morning. That led to the morning watch, which ended at eight, and from eight to noon was the forenoon watch.

Each crew would alternate their watches, which was a good thing because to Sakura, staying up during those late hours would not be fun at all. The currently brown-haired girl sighed as she watched her crew members scramble around, climbing the ratlines nimbly.

Shaking her head slightly, she headed toward the waist of the ship between the foredeck and the quarterdeck. The gallery, also known as the kitchen in layman's terms, should have been located there. Her particular job on the ship was not only a medic, but also the cook. That seemed natural, mainly because she would have access to the stove, which could be needed in making the proper medicines to treat the pirates' wounds.

As she walked, she played with the ethics of her position. She was a medic, yes, someone whose job was to save other people's lives and make them comfortable. It was her duty.

"But then I'd be saving pirates," she thought to herself, "I'd be saving the people who want to kill innocents. Do I have that right-to heal them and perhaps cause the death of others? Do criminals deserve to be healed?"

She closed her eyes briefly, wishing that she had never boarded the ship. She had never doubted her position as a medic before, and she really shouldn't be now. Her mother had often told her that the second she started something, she would have no choice but to finish it.

It was ironic to Sakura the exact analogy her mother used.

"You've stepped into two boats, Sakura," her mother always said, "with one foot in one boat and the other foot in the other. If you try to leave one, you will fall into the water and drown. Naturally, you've got to stay on both if you want to survive."

A sigh escaped her chapped lips as she threaded her way into the gallery. It was a small kitchen, but it would do. Cabinets lined the walls, and there was a wood stove in the corner. Knives were placed in their proper places, and eating utensils complete with spoons, forks, chopsticks, plates, and glasses were all piled neatly together in one of the bottom cabinets. Pots and pans could be seen as well, hanging off one of the walls, drying. The bare necessities for cooking were all present, which was a small relief to the young woman, who was seriously worried about cooking with only knives.

"So I guess my stereotypes of pirates were wrong," she muttered under her breath as she went to explore the cabinets.

She found two cabinets filled with medicinal herbs and first aid materials, and a few empty ones that she could store some of her own medicines in. Canned food and ramen were piled high in four cabinets, and flour, sugar, rice, and other miscellaneous ingredients were in the remaining cabinet. Satisfied that she had a basic understanding of where everything was, Sakura left the kitchen to go find Ino. There were a few things that she still did not understand.

It's kinda funny that these pirates don't seem all that barbaric, said Inner Sakura, looking around in wonder, It's not like those pirate stories they tell at home, you know? I seriously thought they all ate with knives!

Sakura grinned slightly at her inner self. She often wondered how she could survive without that annoying yet extremely helpful alter ego of hers.

Green eyes spotted blonde hair weaving between the sails. Instantly recognizing it, she scrambled toward the ratlines of the mainmast.

That was when she felt her stomach flip upside-down.

The ship was bouncing along the waves quickly, making speed to wherever they were going. The horizon blended in with the ocean and reflected in Sakura's eyes.

She closed them. The constant rocking of the ship was definitely not doing her any good. She felt her face turn green and a small headache develop.

There is always that one feeling right before one throws up that's so distinctive. It's as if the acid was traveling against gravity up the esophagus and ready to burst, and keeping it down would only make things worse. It was that feeling that Sakura had now, which caused her to run to the nearest side of the ship and empty her lunch into the sea.

When she was finished, she turned around and leaned against the railing, catching her breath. So this was the dreaded sea-sickness that Kakashi-sensei warned her about. Ugh. She hated it.

Kakashi-sensei must really want to see God, said Inner Sakura, vein popping on her forehead, He could have been slightly more descriptive, or at least give us a method to prevent it.

"Weakling."

Sakura quickly looked up from the wooden boards of the ship she was staring at. Big mistake. Instantly she felt queasy again, and she had to go back to what she was doing just moments before after catching a glimpse of the oh-so-familiar chicken-like hair.

Pale hands gripped the railing as she tried to think happy thoughts where her two feet were planted on land. Solid land. Land that would not move and cause her to lose her lunch.

Realizing her mistake from before, Sakura turned around slowly and calmly met onyx eyes.

A/N: A much better chapter three, don't you think:D This chapter and the next one are kinda short, mainly because I broke it into two chapters. doesn't seem to pick up on the fact that I update when I replace chapter contents or something. At least there's no giant cliffhanger, right? See the author's notes at the end of chapter four. Do leave a review, even though there's still another chapter-I would love it if you would. Thanks for reading!