Author: Angelic Warrior
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
"Where is the captain?"
"He went overboard with Uzumaki, Naruto!"
"No way! They are the top swimmers, they should be safe somewhere…right?"
"I don't know but that was one heck of a storm…this place is cursed. Sunshine one minute then a calamity next. What's next? A blizzard?
The storm was finally over and all that remains of the proud ship that held so much dreams was a couple drifting planks in the clear sea and splinters in the crew's skin from the anxiety of evacuation. The crew took refuge in cave nearby, made a large campfire and began to dry their soaked clothes. At the word blizzard, the wind outside began to howl and snow started to float down. Within minutes, it was a snowstorm outdoors. Everyone stayed silent.
"Who said blizzard?" Shikamaru asked.
"Uh…uh I did." A dingy crewmember replied chattering. Shikamaru frowned. Chouji, Kiba, Shino are clueless to what Shikamaru is trying to put together.
"Say another 'weather' someone." Shikamaru commanded. No one replied. "Fine, I'll do it…this is so trouble some…Sunny."
The blizzard instantly stopped. Slowly, the storm clouds drifted away and the bright warm sun glowed above them. Everyone stopped chattering and went out to inspect the results. The snow that was on the ground a couple minutes ago disappeared and was replaced by grass and flowers. Shikamaru smirked. Everyone else was jumping for joy.
"I have come to the conclusion that we can decide what weather we want. Someone on the ship must have thought about a storm so that is why we had one." Shikamaru explained. Chouji dropped his bag of chips. "I advise everyone to be careful what you say or express."
"Wow…so this place grants you wishes?" Chouji asked.
"Wait—" Shikamaru reached out.
"I want some barbeque now!"
Balls of fire started to fall from the sky. Chouji covered his head and shouted "Nevermind!" The fire stopped falling and the grass that was ignited was extinguished as if it never got burned in the first place.
"I was about to say that this only seem to be weather related." Shikamaru clapped his hand on his forehead.
"Interesting. Then we are truly in the Sea of Elysium." Kiba said taking in the view.
"Yes and now we must find Sasuke and Naruto." Shikamaru said.
"D-do you think it's okay to do this?" Hinata said dragging Naruto on the beach by his arm following Sakura in the water.
"Hinata-sama, it was your idea. One of them saw us and well…we can't exactly let them die. We would be murderers if we just leave them to roast in the beach side." Sakura grunted as she grabbed both of Sasuke's arms and lifted him. "Got the blonde yet?"
"Long did, though I'm dragging him because I'm not as strong as you." Hinata replied.
"So how long is it to the place that you spoke about." Sakura asked
"I-it isn't far from here a-actually. The humans c-can stay there until they recover and leave. I-it's also the place to erase the memories o-of people w-who accidentally discover us." Hinata looked at Naruto who was slowly opening his eyes. "Oh no!" she gasped.
Naruto sat up and looked at Hinata who was blushing madly swimming in circles. Sakura dropped Sasuke and swam to Hinata. Sasuke opened his eyes and sat up like Naruto as well. Both were looking at the mermaid and both were equally confused to where they are now.
"Where am I?" Naruto and Sasuke said simultaneously.
"Stay back Hinata-sama." Sakura whispered. To the boys she replied, "You should know. You trespassed in our sea you know."
Sasuke looked at Naruto. Slowly, their face stretched out into a large grin. Naruto laughed and Sasuke smiled. Finally, this is the Elysium they had been searching for. Best of all, two mermaids are in front of them and one seems to be of royalty.
Sakura frowned. This wasn't the reaction she had been expecting. They were too overjoyed and calm about this.
Could they be poachers? Sakura wondered.
"Hey, thanks for saving our lives." Sasuke stood up and dusted his shirt. Naruto followed.
"Y-you're w-welcome." Hinata stuttered behind Sakura's shoulder.
"So where were we headed?" Naruto asked. Sakura let out a quiet groan.
Now that they are awake, we can't erase their memories in that place anymore. Damn…
"We were going to take you to a place where you two can recuperate but it doesn't seem quite necessary since you two are awake and obviously well." Sakura said loudly hinting for them to leave.
When Naruto and Sasuke just stood there as if waiting for her to finish, Sakura nearly screamed. Hinata had to hold her shoulders down to control her outburst.
"P-please leave now…" Sakura whispered dangerously trying to keep her emotions under control.
"No way." Sasuke said bluntly.
"Yeah! We can't go back now! Not after we finally got here!" Naruto said.
"Why you…!" Sakura raised her clawed fingers getting ready to impale the raven-headed boy who stood there facing her on.
"Sakura-san! Don't!" Hinata shouted holding Sakura's arms back.
"Let me go! I have to get rid of them! It's for your safety and all of our kind! We can't let that happen again!" Sakura screamed and thrashed in Hinata's arm lock. "I hate you humans! I hate you humans! I hate you humans! I hate you humans!"
"That?" Naruto said mortified. "You…you…have killed others people before?"
"You bet we did! Anyone that threatens us, we erase them without question! You are no exception. Let me go Hinata-sama!" Sakura's emerald eyes blazed with rage. She let out a howl in frustration.
The unearthly sound reverberated in Sasuke's and Naruto's heads sending a chill down their spines. They shuddered and sat on the sand staring at the raging mermaid. The sky darkened and rain started to pour. Sakura began breathe heavily to calm herself as Hinata released her hold.
Lightning lit the sky on fire. It also lit the hatred on Sakura's face.
"I…I should have known…" Sasuke whispered to no one, "Mermaids are truly heartless beasts after all."
"Heartless…so that is what we have become to you humans…" Hinata whispered and stared at her own claws with her lavender-white eyes. "I-I don't hate you humans but I won't tolerate this stereotype as well. Sakura's hatred came from your kind…you cause this." Hinata glanced sadly at Sakura who was gripping her fits so hard that small droplets of blood are mixing into the seawater. "I won't erase your memories but please leave," she commanded.
"You didn't need to tell them about me, Hinata-sama. They know what they had done." Sakura dived into the stormy water.
"But! We just got here! Our ship is demolished and we got separated from our crew. It's not possible to leave yet." Naruto exclaimed.
"M-maybe we'll meet again, under b-better circumstances." Hinata said mildly blushing. "S-sorry that I had t-to use that tone. A-also sorry f-for what is going to happen n-next."
"Huh?" Sasuke and Naruto said in unison.
"Byakugan!" Hinata said as her lavender-white eyes darkened and sent a wave of pressure to the two boys on the beach. Sasuke and Naruto froze and passed out once more. "I-I suppose I am g-glad that I don't s-see evil in you t-two. Y-you'll be fine in two hours." With that, Hinata dived in to the waves and the storm dispelled.
"Oy! Shikamaru! Isn't that spiky yellow sea urchin Naruto's head?" Kiba pointed to the lump on top of a small hill of sand.
"And that wet glob of seaweed Sasuke?" Chouji pointed.
"Sigh…probably…" Shikamaru groaned as he shifted over and punched Naruto. "Wake up stupid, you are going to get sunstroke of you keep sleeping here."
Naruto blinked and instantly shot up caressing his tender cheek.
"WHO HIT ME?" Naruto screamed at the top of his lungs.
While everyone shielded their ears more from annoyance, Sasuke bopped his head hard.
"Stop making such a racket. You woke me up, dobe!"
"Why you…!" Naruto seethe and began to throw punches at him.
"Oy. You two stop. Remember what we came here for." Shikamaru grabbed Naruto's fist and shove him to the sand.
"Yeah yeah…mermaids…I know…wait. DIDN'T WE FIND EARLIER, SASUKE?"
Sasuke didn't reply. He sat on the sand facing the ocean remembering the mermaids. Especially the one filled with rage. He was taught that mermaids don't have emotions and are heartless creatures. Afterall, they were the ones who sunk Atlantis, the pride and joy of the humans that the humans work so hard to build just for their selfish selves.
"Sakura's hatred came from your kind…you cause this."
Yet, that sentence lodged in his head. The mermaid, Hinata, said that her companion's rage originated from them. He was sure that this was his first time seeing a mermaid and the same goes for Naruto. Everyone in Konohagakure must be of age in order to leave the village.
"your kind…"
"The Ancient War!" Sasuke jumped up and pointed to Shikamaru. "Tell me everything you know about the Ancient War."
"There isn't much to say. History was still orally passed down then and there were no survivors. Why do you ask?"
"Do you know who fought who?"
"Not really…just that it was an enemy opposite yet similar to us. All textbooks only have at most a paragraph about the war. It was the bloodiest war in the history of wars."
"I see… was the enemy mermaids?" Sasuke asked. That got everyone's attention. Quiet murmurs appeared and died repeatedly. Naruto's face was fixed in anticipation. The long silence tempted their patience
"…I don't know." Shikamaru finally answered.
"Fine. Let's have finding the history of the Ancient War be one of our goals this mission/voyage." Sasuke commanded. "I want Naruto, Shikamaru, Kiba, Chouji, and Shino to come with me. The rest of you will rebuild another ship. There should be enough people to do it."
"May I come along with you too? I also have personal reasons to search for the mer-species." Rock Lee walked in front of Sasuke with his thick eyebrows knitted in determination.
Sasuke in reality didn't want to take him along. Lee was a good friend but after the encounter with the mermaids firsthand with Naruto, he knows how vicious they can be. Also, Lee's strength and agility is a useful asset in rebuilding the ship. Sasuke shifted his weight. Lee's gaze was beginning to make his feel like he was being a jerk. He had reasons to see the mermaids as well. After much hesitation, Sasuke gave in.
"You can come," he said to the whooping Lee, "as for the rest of you get to work! I expect no one to slack off while we are gone."
"Yes, Captain!"
"Hinata-sama, I am sorry. I didn't mean to lose my cool."
"It's all right. I dealt with them already. I know that you were constraining your emotions the whole time when we rescued them. You did good."
Hinata placed her clawed palm on top of Sakura's bright pink hair. Sakura felt at ease. Hinata was the nicest royalty in the Sea of Elysium. Though she could be incredibly shy when she talked to others, Sakura felt that Hinata is quite bold in reality. Hinata never abused her authority. She was generous as she was also one of the main reasons she chose to be her bodyguard though her family at first refused. However, it was more of a friendship relationship than of a protector.
"I'll appreciate it if you didn't tell my father about today." Hinata whispered. Sakura knew that that was also for her sake too. Hinata's father doesn't pay much attention to her but instead to Hinata's younger sister, Hanabi-sama.
Hinata, the heir to the royal family the controls and rules the Sea of Elysium was an outcast. It was never and probably will never be official but everyone knows it. Strangely, no one in the whole ocean hated her. She was a friend to everyone. Everyone loved the mermaid in his or her heart secretly, fearing Hiashi-sama's wrath. Sakura on the other hand was a different story. She never knew her parents and was for some reason hated by many. Only Hinata and a few dared to approach her. Her past was a complete blank and often she found herself alone crying silent tears. All she knows was that her loneliness was cause by humans.
"Sakura-san, what are you thinking about?" Sakura broke out of her daze state.
"Nothing much…" she mumbled. Hinata stared at her friend and wrapped her arms around her.
"Don't dwell on the past."
Hinata held Sakura hand squeezing it slightly. Sakura smiled a weak smile. Suddenly, ANBU mer-guards appeared. With their mask covering their features, no one could figure out what their facial expressions were.
"Hinata-sama, we need you to come with us." The bird mask ANBU said.
"What's going on! Where are you planning to take Hinata-sama?" Sakura shouted. Hinata put her left arm out telling Sakura to be quiet.
"I understand." Hinata whispered. With that, the ANBU and Hinata disappeared.
Sakura floated in the ocean seething with rage. First humans came and reminded her of the cold life she led. Next, Hinata-sama was taken away for no reason. They were the only ones that came into contact with the humans so ANBU shouldn't have known anything about that. Sakura swam around in frustration mentally cursing.
Byakugan…Sakura gasped. Of course! She should have known. Hinata was only physically weaker than her so how did she deal with the humans? There was only one way to knock them out painlessly.
It was the human's entire fault in the end again.
To be continued…