Title: Love Between Land and Sea
Rating: T – Language (yeah, that is about it)
Pairings: Sakura/Sasuke, Ino/Sasuke
Summary: (AU) Sakura, a mermaid, falls in love with Sasuke, a human. Sacrificing everything she knew to be with him was one thing, but getting him to accept her was another.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters. And I do not own the story of the Little Mermaid. Thank-you.
Chapter XI: Wedding Bells
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Sakura felt slightly sick in the pit of her stomach as the ship continuously rocked back and forth with the waves. To her it was ironic, to be born of the sea and become sick from it. But the sick feeling in her stomach was not from only just the ships movement, she also felt… threatened? Or maybe she even felt dread upon reaching the Yamanaka kingdom. 'I'm being paranoid… Sasuke-kun said himself that the only woman he could possibly love is that blonde human on the beach,' she reasoned, trying to make the horrible sensation pass. 'And if he never finds that girl…he might choose me.' Sakura smiled slightly. She still had a chance. And even if she did not marry him, it was very unlikely that he would find he blonde girl and Sakura could stay with him forever.
They had been on the ship for days and not once had Sakura traveled to the upper deck to glance at the sights passing by. But Sakura already knew the sight that would welcome her if she went up there. Endless blue skies and sea, but Sakura had witnessed enough of both sights, and kept to herself within her cabin.
Sakura sighed. 'I just want Sasuke-kun to see Yamanaka-san, tell her he's not interested, we can go back home, and then these sickening feelings will disperse,' she told herself as though she thought it was going to be as simple as that, but in the deepest recess of her heart, she knew it would not happen like that. Something was going to happen… something she wouldn't be able to control… something—
Just then an abrupt knock sounded at the door. Quickly, Sakura got up and opened it to find Sasuke standing there. She stood aside from the threshold to invite him in but he merely shook his head.
"I just wanted to let you know that we've reached sight of the port. We'll probably be docking soon. I'm sorry, but you'll have to stay on the ship, this 'meeting' of sorts is relatively private. I hope you don't mind, I'll be back as soon as it's over," he said, gauging Sakura's reaction. Like he had expected, she smiled and shook her head, signaling she did not mind.
Sasuke returned her smile, left the room closing the wooden door behind him.
Sakura sat back down in the chair by the window and watched as they neared the docks.
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"Sasuke, we had not expected you for another two days!" his mother greeted. "I hope the summer is well for you?" she asked, but when she didn't receive an answer she turned to greet her other son. "Ah, Itachi, I really did not anticipate that you were coming as well."
Itachi just shrugged. "I suppose I just missed you and father," he said, though anyone could tell he did not mean it.
Mikoto gave a meaningful glance towards her eldest child, but then looked away. "We'd better hurry, Inoichi-san has probably already heard of your arrival; let's not keep him and his daughter waiting."
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"Ah, so this is your son is it, Fugaku-san? Forgive me, but I'm delighted to know he looks nothing like you!" the one blonde in the room laughed, standing up from his chair to better evaluate Sasuke. "You're nothing like I expected you to be, Sasuke," he said truthfully.
Sasuke scowled slightly at the man who circled him like a vulture. "Is that a good thing?" he asked.
Inoichi only laughed. "Oh course! Well, I think you've had a long enough journey, and I'm sure you don't want me to loom around you for much longer, so let's get on with business. Nurse! You may bring Ino in now," he called to a door on the opposite side of the room.
It opened and two women filed into the room. An older woman was in front, she looked to be about forty or fifty and a younger woman with long blonde hair followed timidly behind her.
Sasuke could only see the nurse at first, but once she moved aside he finally got to see the woman whom his parents wished him to marry. His eyes then widened at the sight of the girl in from of him. The blonde hair… the ice blue eyes… it was her. Sasuke just stared as he evaluated the blonde. This was the same young woman who saved him that day on the beach. Yamanaka Ino and his mystery savior was the same person. "Y-y-you..." his voice stumbled out.
At the sound of his voice, Ino raised her eyes to look up. When her azure eyes met his black ones in a locking gaze, she did her best to stifle a gasp. "You're the one who washed up on the beach… it's you!" she said as her surprised expression never faded from her face.
Suddenly, Sasuke found himself walking towards the young woman and without a moment's hesitation; he brought her into an embrace.
Ino stiffened to the sudden contact at first, but then relaxed into Sasuke's arms and returned his hug.
"I thought… I thought I would never find you again. But here you are," Sasuke mumbled into her ear, so only she could hear it.
Inoichi, Fugaku, and Mikoto looked upon the scene playing out in front of them. The three adults didn't say anything or move, in fear of ruining the moment that they hadn't expected would take place.
Sasuke was quiet for many moments, and all Ino could hear and feel was his breath at her ear. Then she felt him draw in a breath and begin talking once more. "Ino…" he said slowly as he softly stroked her hair softly. "Ino, will you marry me?"
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Sakura remained seated in the same chair by the window as she did the moment Sasuke left. Even though she was impatient for his return, she didn't show it. 'How long does it take to say no to getting married?' she wondered as her eyes followed one of the seagulls that flew past the window. Just as she was about to let out another exasperated sigh, her cabin door swung open, and Sasuke bounded in.
She immediately stood up from the chair and turned to him to see what was with his sudden outburst. Before she could even bring her eyes to his, he brought her into a tight hold.
"I found her, Sakura, I found her," he said as he unconsciously tightened the embrace he was giving Sakura. "The woman who saved me that day, months ago, it was really Yamanaka Ino," he exclaimed as he let the petal-haired woman out of the embrace.
Sakura went rigid. Now more than ever she wished she had her voice; just to tell him that she was the one who saved him. He should be marrying her not this 'Ino'. She was the one who pulled him from the depths of the dark ocean. It was her who traveled over countless miles of sea just to save him. Sakura, not Ino, delivered him from Death's grasp to the warm beach he was found on. Sakura wanted so badly to cry right now but she couldn't, not with Sasuke here. She held back her tears and gave him a small smile, trying to ensure him that she was happy for him, even though she knew she was lying to herself.
"I'm sorry I can't stay any longer, I have to get ready. We're having the wedding immediately; tonight!" he said as he brought her into another small hug before he left the room as quickly as he came. Although he thought he was leaving a woman who was as happy for him as everyone else was he was in reality leaving a heart broken one behind.
The moment the door closed with a soft 'click' Sakura's knees gave in and she dropped to the floor, all the while tears were streaming down her cheeks. She waited until she could no longer hear his footsteps before she allowed sobs to wretch through her entire body as tears cascaded down her cheeks in an endless waterfall. She didn't care what Orochimaru had said; her heart felt like it was breaking now.It was truly a disheartening sight to see.
Everything she worked for crumbled. She lost. Everyone else was happy except her. 'Tomorrow morning…when dawn breaks…' a strong sob strangled her thoughts before she could complete them. In the end, she was not going to live a happily ever after. She was not going to be carried away into the sunset with her lover. She was not going to receive the love of another ever again. She was going to die when morning came; when the first rays of the sun touched her skin, she would fade away and become nothing more than a memory. The very thought brought more tears to her eyes (if possible). 'I suppose I am more like a cherry blossom than I had thought; we both live such short lives. But they will bloom again and I—will not. Otou-san, obaasan, sisters, Naruto-kun…I've been so foolish. Somehow I knew all along that I would never succeed, but still I tried…I am so sorry…I will never see any of you agai—' it was then that she remembered about what Naruto had told her the last time she had seen him.
"Sakura-chan, make sure it is at night, with a moon… Reflect the moon's light from your pin to far out into the sea, I will watch for it every night."
She hoped he would be watching for it tonight as well. She had to let him know of the events. She would not be able to bear it if she hadn't at least said good bye to her best friend.
She wiped the salty tears away with the sleeve of her dress and stood up, albeit a bit unsteady. She left the room once she regained her composure. She would wait on the docks until nightfall… then she would signal for Naruto.
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Author's Notes: Sorry for the lag with the update. I didn't know exactly how I wanted to compose this chapter, so I put it off a bit. I actually finished it, but accidentally forgot to save it. Stupid me. Anyway, here you all go, I hope to get the next chapter out sooner, but don't hold my word; I might get lazy. :D
Thank-you everyone for the reviews; I really enjoyed reading them. I'm glad you're all enjoying this fanfic. More reviews are always adored.
Stay tuned for the next chapter, I hope to have it out within the next week. Until then, bye:)
