A little different and very long, but hope you guys enjoy this one! I had many more ideas in mind, but I decided to leave it at this length for simplicity purposes (and so I can focus on the new Sunrise chapter, which is almost done!).
As background info, only whispers of mermaids have reached certain sailors' ears. In this world, it is not commonplace to see or know of them.
Prompt: pirate/mermaid.
"For certain you have to be lost to find a place that can't be found. Elseways, everyone would know where it was."
- Captain Barbosa, Pirates of the Caribbean.
To Give No Quarter
Her mother tells her to stay below the surface since she is but a newborn—a slimy little thing with a short tail and no hair on her body. She reiterates it everyday from there on out: the surface is full of dangers unimaginable to her, and it is fundamental to their survival if they exclusively stay under the rocks of Kai.
These rocks have split the surface waters from the deep oceans since the beginning of time itself, and it is all that Sakura has ever known. Under them, any place can be explored. They can swim the entirety of the world's oceans should they wish to, but always, always below the formation of rocks that separates them from everything else; a formidable layer, and almost impenetrable. It divides them from other fish, too—the surface fish, who (from what she has heard in passing) swim under absolute brightness.
Sakura doesn't understand what swimming in total brightness means, but she doesn't think it would look much more different than how it is where she lives. In deep waters, beaming colors shine from the fish who live here, to the algae, and to the very plankton particles in the water around them.
Sakura's kind of fish also glow with their own bright hues, though she develops her rather unorthodox colors much later than any of her sisters. When she experiences sixteen cold winters, her large eyes turn a luminescent green, and her hair reaches past her hips in a glow of neon pink. Her skin, just like with these two attributes, can give off a glow to attract prey.
She's the first one with the pink addition of color in the family, though her father, when he turned eight, developed a much darker shade of it.
She only has this to compare to the brightness some talk about, the one that shines over the surface, much, much too far from her.
She always listens to her mother, however, and never does she stare out into what could possibly be above. She understands that below the protective barrier of rocks, nothing can hurt her. But after her nineteenth frost, when her mother announces she is to marry a boy her age she has never met before, from the oceans beyond the land of Wind, she doesn't know how the surface could hurt her any more than this does.
And for the first time in her life, she looks up at the distant mass of brown, solid rock with something other than pure wonder. Determined to not be sold into a marriage of convenience, just like her older sisters once were, she swims upwards and along the massive expanse of barrier, trying, desperately, to find just the slightest crack in the seemingly impenetrable fortress.
Sasuke and Naruto, bloody and out of breath, find a mop of tangled, dark pink hair splayed out over a rock that juts out of the sea as they round a large boulder at the edge of the beach.
They have been fighting on land for hours, and not by choice. The bar keeper back in Lightning had pointed them to this remote island off the coast, toward a treasure they said was unlike any other, only to find a group of mercenaries ready for battle and no loot in sight. A similar situation has happened before; only once in the past, back when his father was the most fearsome pirate in all the seas. How that situation ended still makes his skin recoil.
With his crew somewhere he can't spot by now—dead, taken as hostages, or who knows what at this point—he had grabbed Naruto after a rather large explosion and they'd run behind the boulder by the sea, taking advantage of the smoke from the blast to hide from the enemy.
Now, they stare at what looks like hair, but could very well be...a special form of pink algae?
"What in the seven seas is that?" He hears the man whisper, and by the oceans, he cannot answer with certainty.
When the mop moves, they both give a jump—a pair of experienced salts, ones who have seen all kinds of monsters at sea and on land, jump at the sight of a large, pink unidentifiable object a few steps away from them. Sasuke tightens the hold on his bloodied sword, ready to strike the monster if it dares move any closer, for only a short, relatively shallow stretch of shore separates them from it.
Only that it is not a monster, but a woman. Or, at least, what appears to be.
Sasuke's eyes can barely believe it when a fair, stricken woman raises her head from the rock's rough surface to stare directly at them—at Naruto, first, and then at him. Her piercing eyes are of the brightest green he has ever seen. Brighter than the grass on the mountains of Fire. Brighter than the embers from the fireflies that rest deep in the land of Earth. They almost glow under the unrelenting rays of the sun, and it completely renders him put on the spot.
She looks to be around their age, maybe a bit younger. Her hair is of a dark pink, after all—but probably lighter once dried—and it pools all around her like a thick blanket.
Naruto reacts first, taking a step forward.
"Ahoy there, miss, are ye well? She looks petrified, matey," he turns to him, and motions to the girl with his head. "Think these sick fuckers leave her to die in the briny?"
Sasuke gives him no answer still. Instead, he pokes his head slightly out the edge of the boulder, and confirms with his eyes that the fight is now taking place further away from the beach itself. With a sigh of relief, he turns back to the situation and gives his friend a grimace—they might have seen much, but they've never been faced with something like this and, though it would make them slightly better people (at this point, they have a reputation, so this is an excuse, really), any direct involvement in the middle of a battle would only complicate their day further. Still, something had moved within Sasuke when he'd looked into the woman's eyes, and so, he reasons with himself that today is the day he becomes a slightly better person.
"Our ship be just around the corner. We needs t' go now," he communicates, and it's true. They had anchored ship close enough to the island, just on the other side of a rugged cliff. If they hadn't stumbled upon this strange occurrence, they would be well on their way to their ship, rowing on a boat they had left ashore when they'd arrived. The sooner they can help this girl and get her to come with them (should she need to leave this island), the sooner they can depart. Sasuke fixes his gaze over at the woman then, his eyes squinting at the bright glare of the sun.
"Come to shore, madam," Sasuke calls to her, motioning to themselves with one hand so as to beckon her forward.
"She might be injured, ye know. Go bring the poor creature back t' land."
Sasuke pointedly looks at his friend after all he receives is a forceful push on his back.
"And why do I 'ave to go?"
But Naruto is now looking over the edge of the boulder, making sure there is no one heading their way, and turning his back to him.
Sasuke heaves an exasperated sigh and starts to walk deeper into the water, headed for the girl sprawled out over the piece of rock. Sometimes, Naruto can be a nuisance—all the time, actually.
The water is terribly cold, but after such a long fight under the hot sun, he welcomes the change in temperature, as well as the reprieve for his many injuries—the salt stings horribly over his open wounds, but he knows they will heal better now.
He doesn't look at the girl until she's within arm's distance, and by then, he's waist-deep in the freezing waters.
He offers her a hand that she never takes. Strangely enough, she looks just like Naruto had described her: petrified, like she wants nothing more than to flee, her fearful, shell-shocked green eyes blazing through his own gaze. He turns more impatient than before when she pretends she doesn't even hear him—or see him, for that matter.
"Take me hand, woman. Promise I'll get ye to safety."
Her rosy lips part to speak, yet no sound comes out, and Sasuke has the sinking, dreadful realization that something is very, very wrong.
To prove the feeling in his stomach correct, the girl suddenly closes her eyes and collapses without a sound. But instead of falling back over the rock, she slides down its jagged edges and into the calm waters beneath.
Sasuke reacts without thinking. He rounds the rock and dives in, his hands grabbing hold of her skinny arm and pulling. When he comes up for air and tries to grab the back of her legs to carry her back to shore, he drops her again in surprise.
"Ye done there yet? What's takin' so long, bastard?"
He hears Naruto yell over at him, and glances down at the water in front of him in confusion.
What the devil did he just touch?
The water is not deep enough for all the light to hide what's lying at its bottom, and Sasuke sees the distortion of the pink lady over its clear reflection, some small fish swimming over her body—her presence somehow not bothering the fish. Her torso is completely exposed, and from the waist down, all he can discern are twinkles of light reflecting off from what has the form of a long tail, wide at the hips and shrinking toward the bottom, where it ends in the shape of two fins. A fucking tail with fins, like a fish.
The beads that cover its length, which he's certain are scales, are silver in color, and when the sun catches them in a certain light, Sasuke has to close his eyes at the bright reflection—sparkling brighter than any treasure he has ever seen.
Not in the twenty-two years he has been at sea has he witnessed such wonder or been as equally confused, not even when he had to face a giant squid towering over his father's ship at the age of seven.
"Incoming, cap'n! Time to weigh anchor!"
Sasuke hears Naruto yell behind him, and he curses under his breath as he finally ignores the voice in his head telling him to leave her behind—because she could have run away if she'd wanted to, but maybe she is injured after all. He wishes to leave her be, but this creature has the face of a woman and half the body of one, and she'd looked at him with her very human-like eyes, so he is unable to classify her as a strange marine monster and leave her lying at the bottom of the sea—unfortunately, because he already has enough problems to deal with on his own.
He dives down again, carrying her as he always meant to, and makes a point to overlook the blindingly beautiful silver scales that adorn what should be human legs, thankful that her hair covers her naked torso.
When he reaches Naruto with a half-human, half-fish in his arms, the explosions are occurring so close to them now that the blonde can only yell a string of quick, surprised profanities and questions before they're both running across the beach, leaving brisk trails of sand in their paths, and heading for the boat they'd left on the shore a few hours earlier.
With little struggle and years of practice, they both leave the island on boat until the yells from the men back on land barely reach their ears. All the while, they row like their lives depend on it, until they round a large rock that hangs over a cliff and finally reach their anchored ship.
And when they set sail and start heading course for Lightning—because he will settle this setup with the bar keeper, no doubt about it—Sasuke leans the pink lady against the pole of a mast, and simply stares.
He has no crew. Three hours ago, he'd had twenty people with him. Now he has one crew member—his First Mate, thankfully—and a fish hybrid with the angelic, pale face of a young woman. Her features are twisted into an expression of enduring, endless pain. Sasuke doesn't know what to make of this—is she truly injured, as Naruto had hinted at?
Sasuke's eyes roam her features further, but finding nothing else of substance, they drift lower. And over her abdomen, beneath the absurdly long, ridiculously colored hair, is a liquid the color of oceans: a deep, bright blue.
"I reckon she's bleedin', aye?" He muses, then spares a glance at the blond.
Naruto is scratching at his beard as he, too, looks down and observes the creature before them rest in painful slumber. How Naruto is not yet screaming at him with one hundred questions at the tip of his tongue is beyond him; he simply looks on, for the first time in his life, in complete silence.
"Where from, mate?"
Sasuke crosses his arms across his chest, then uncrosses them and places them on his hips in frustration. He believes that the blue hint of color beneath her hair is blood, but then that would mean her blood is as blue as the octopi he's slaughtered in the past—and that would make her more fish than human.
A shiver runs down his spine.
"Do ye reckon she needs to be in the water? She's a fish, ain't she? Why did ye even bring her aboard? What the devil do we do?" Naruto spews out in a chain of quick inquiries, moving closer to the girl. To all his questions, Sasuke has absolutely no answers. In fact, for however much time they remain with her, he knows that he will not have any answers either. But it had happened, hadn't it? He had found her and dragged her to his ship, and now she lay bleeding a deep, unknown blue. And just like with any of his problems at sea, the issue will be resolved, somehow, somewhere, but it will. Of this he is certain.
Before Naruto can touch her, Sasuke grabs his wrist and halts his movement.
"She could be dangerous, idiot."
A look of confusion flashes over Naruto's blue eyes.
"Ye were carrying her afore and naught happened," Naruto jabs at him, then weasels out of his strong hold. His tan hand moves some strands of hair out of her face, then he seems to notice the blue tinge over her stomach, and parts the hair there—making sure to not expose her to them completely. "Blimey... Be that blue blood?"
Sasuke swallows and gravelly nods. With her hair out of the way from her injury, he can see the gash that runs from the bottom of her left breast, across her stomach, and to her right waist. And it's bleeding still, though at a much slower pace than what could potentially be fatal.
With neither of them having any medical training, it could very well be fatal, though.
"Help me take her t' me shillings. We'll figure all that out later."
Naruto seems hesitant, but with one look over at the grey horizon up ahead, he understands they simply can't spend their time on this as of yet. Besides the pressing, possible storm brewing in the near future, he also knows there are more pressing matters at hand to plan, like the need for a new crew and the debt that has to be paid at Lightning—and knowing his captain, they need to prepare and go back to that desolate island, for a debt must be paid there too.
They both lift her with more force than they would have thought necessary; Sasuke carried her before, but clearly he had been under a great rush of adrenaline, for the lower half of her body now feels as heavy as a Great White. They take her below deck, to Sasuke's quarters, and lay her down on his bed—it's not like he sleeps there much, and he needs a comfortable place for her while he decides what exactly to do with her; if he will try to heal her, or if he should toss her overboard in the end.
As he lays her down, her head turns on his pillow in his direction, and her full lips purse in discomfort. From her injury, no doubt, and it makes him slightly uncomfortable. He doesn't know the first thing about healing.
Naruto heads up to the main deck swiftly, surely expecting his captain to do the same afterwards. But he doesn't. Instead, Sasuke rummages through some of his cabinets in search of clean cloth—anything to wrap around her midsection and stop the bleeding—but all his clothes are dirty and the rags he does find are torn up and brown with grime and rust. Looking down at his own greasy, blood-stained hands, he curses under his breath; what the hell is he thinking? He's a goddamn pirate, not a healer. When he gets injured, he splashes some salt water over the site and calls it a day.
The sky is still blue and the small window in his quarters still provides enough light, so when the girl groans softly and places a hand over her injury, Sasuke turns and effectively discerns her eyes staring into his own, questioningly, curiously, but overall lacking the loathness he's been expecting.
With three long strides, he leans over her, moves her hand away from her injury, and tears a piece of his inner shirt, white and mostly hidden away by his bloody jacket—mostly, thankfully, clean enough. He places it on her skin and flinches at her wince, but she otherwise allows his help.
The girl opens her mouth, and in that moment, Naruto bursts open the door to his room, confirming that a storm is, in fact, quickly approaching and that they must prepare. Storms in the open sea, no matter how adept the ship or the sailor, are nothing to underestimate.
Sasuke gives her one last look and goes back upstairs.
The waters are calm for the first few minutes into their journey, but they turn rough as a storm does indeed approach soon thereafter. It almost takes Sasuke and Naruto aback, the quick turn of weather, but they are experienced sailors and know that anything can happen whilst in the open ocean.
With the pink lady safe below deck inside Sasuke's quarters, they quickly rear themselves for the upcoming storm. Sasuke's at the wheel while Naruto's batting down the hatches, stowing flames, and securing all the cannons with rope. Thankfully, the storm passes by them with barely any issues—some minor flooding does have Naruto cursing under his breath as he picks up a bucket. They've been through plenty of worse storms, however, so it's nothing they can't handle with relative ease.
Their ship secured and the worst of the storm now past—the skies are still dark, but there won't be a storm for the rest of their travels—Sasuke calls Naruto over and orders him to take control of the ship as he checks on the girl downstairs. It's been a while, and though Lightning is only an hour away at most, Sasuke needs to make sure she's at least taken a proper look at. He already has a bottle of rum in his hand to clean the wound by the time he reaches his room.
Only that, as soon as he enters a space that should be shrouded in darkness (if only for the sky turning a dark grey), he finds the girl sitting against the wall of his bed, her eyes glowing green, and her long hair shining a soft pink. The glow is subtle, but amidst the darkness of his room, it is unmistakable.
Sasuke stands by the closed door for what seems like days, but is probably mere seconds. Any other man, he knows, would have turned around and run away from such a sight. But while the anomaly is something indeed new and strange to the eye, it's not enough to have him sprinting the other way. He had touched her skin before, and he knows that she is of flesh and bone just like him—part human, at the very least, and definitely not a ghostly apparition like someone such as Naruto would categorize her.
Still, though not necessarily afraid, he hesitates by the door for a long time for lack of a proper response, or a known procedure. A million thoughts rush through his head as he looks upon a literal beacon of light in the form of a fish and a human girl; primarily, he tries to figure out how he is going to handle this new development.
On the other side of the room, the woman stares at him in silence, but her expression is not of pain anymore—just a sort of curious wonder. And, seeing that this strange, pink and green glow is apparently not harmful in any way, he takes a tentative step toward her form. The girl doesn't react like he expects her to. Whereas she had looked upon him with fright and horror on the rock, she now stares placidly, and upon noticing he takes a second step forward, she grabs one of his thin blankets and drapes it over the lower half of her body. Her tail completely hidden from his view, she looks at him once more—cocking her head to one side, almost as if searching for a specific reaction from him, as if thinking her tail is what is making him hesitate so much so. And, in a way, it is.
Feeling the blade of his sword against his hip, he suddenly shakes his head, and thinks it stupid that he's cowering from whatever creature this might be—because, whatever she is, she won't be something he can't quickly take care of should he need to.
Closing the remaining distance between them, he stops in front of her sitting form and looks down at her large, expressive eyes. They gaze down at his legs, as if they are the strangest things in the world; he stifles the urge to snort.
She raises her eyes toward his right hand, and he looks down to the bottle of rum he's still holding. The sight reminds him of the purpose of his visit in the first place, and he lifts the bottle toward her, giving it a little shake.
"This'll help heal you," he explains, but at her silence, he touches his abdomen with his left hand, then points his index finger at her own. "Ye'r hurt, aye?"
Recognition flashes over her hypnotic gaze before she's grabbing her hair and tucking it all to one side, exposing the upper half of her body—he trains his eyes solely to where they need to look, but his eyes do wander for a moment—and clearly showing him the now immaculate, pale skin of her stomach. There is no blood, no cut, no gash, no injury.
Sasuke falters after a second, but takes a seat right beside her on the edge of the bed, his eyes trained on what he thinks could have been a mirage. But he had seen it, and Naruto had seen it too. She had been hurt, bleeding. The injury had spanned across her entire abdomen, so where is it now?
He raises his head at her in utter disbelief.
"How… You were injured jus' an hour ago. Less than that, I'd say."
At her prolonged silence, his hand raises on its own curious accord toward the exact spot she had been bleeding the last time he'd seen her. But she only looks on as his hand traces the line he had clearly seen before. There is nothing now on her skin that could ever tell anyone she'd been hurt. To be appalled would be an understatement but, glancing then at the faded scales that start on her waist, peeking from below the blanket, he supposes healing magic abilities should not be such a surprise, considering.
Her gaze is still wide and curious as she follows his own, and then, to Sasuke's shock, he feels her own hand—with slightly webbed fingers, he notices—on his cheek. Her touch is incredibly soft, but so very cold.
He turns his head to her in question, but she lets her hand rest there without saying a word; she hasn't said a single word to him this whole time, actually. Could it be true that, adding to her list of non-humanoid curiosities, she also does not have the ability to speak?
The girl drops her hand a few seconds later, staring at him in awe, her large eyes locked on his cheek like she has made a miracle happen.
When Sasuke touches his cheek, he finds that the slash that had been there from his earlier fight is now completely gone; erased, as if it had never happened. He looks down at the girl in astonishment, confirming what he's already been thinking: that this girl is half-fish, half-human, that she possesses healing powers beyond any possible comprehension, and that she quite literally glows in darkness.
"Can ye speak?" He inquires, but she only stares up at him. "It seems like you can't understand me."
With a sigh, he fists the sheets in his hands and stands, but the girl grabs hold of his pants and pulls, not letting him move any further away. She pats the space next to her, where he had been sitting before.
He furrows his brow in confusion, but sits nevertheless, obliging her silent request. She then gifts him a wide-toothed smile, clearly thankful that he has done as told—and her teeth, he notes, although perhaps slightly sharper, are just like his.
The girl lifts her hand and touches his other cheek, then his jaw, then his neck, and by the time she starts to take off his ripped, ragged jacket, Sasuke has the vague feeling that all she's doing is healing his every injury. Sasuke grabs her wrist, and she audibly gasps. The sound is high-pitched and makes him flinch; she may look like a human from the waist up, but she certainly does not sound like one. The noise is distorted and unpleasant to his ears.
Blinking away the discomfort, he releases her wrist when her hand is back over her lap, and then he shakes his head. But she raises her hand despite his message and reaches for his jacket, and after carefully, patiently letting her know he does not want her help, he finally gives up and lets her take off his jacket, then his dirty, white shirt. Over the next ten minutes, all he finds himself doing is glancing down at her face. Her eyes are squinted in concentration and her lips are pursed. She has this softness about her, an innocent rose to her cheeks, something that he so rarely gets to see on any woman in his line of work. Even in the most well-fared parts of cities, where money runs rampant and ladies doll themselves to the brim, the level of show makes the girls pretty, but shallow. The woman in front of him is real, raw, beautiful.
After a few minutes, she leans back against the wall once more, a pleasant but tired look over her features.
Sasuke can only nod a quick thanks, then gets dressed again and heads upstairs to let Naruto know of the new developments. However, once upon the main deck, Sasuke finds that they are already arriving at the port, and he has to help Naruto fend off three Lightning guards who wish to see their permits; permits that, obviously, they do not carry. Eventually, the woman fades from the forefront of his mind. He ventures into town, at last, headed for the bar keeper that had lied to them.
A few hours later, when they return to their ship with a few stolen supplies, Sasuke has the thought to check on the woman in his chambers, but when he enters his room, she is not there anymore. He looks everywhere with the help of Naruto to no avail. She has somehow fled overboard all on her own—unless, of course, someone had found her while they were gone, but he reckons they would have heard of such discovery from the townsfolk if so.
It all seems like a long, funny dream when he turns to Naruto and the blond gives him a speechless shrug.
Sakura remembers the man who saved her fondly, and she remembers him everyday.
She watches him from afar, always hiding under superficial layers of water. It's not enough to simply watch from so far away, however, and on some nights she finds herself brave enough to climb over the bow of his formidable ship, leaning up until she can see him steering the wheel. She only dares to do this at night, and on the times when the moon is not bright enough to expose her; as for her hair's glow, she finds that if she does not feed on algae for the night, the glow dims down enough for her to go unnoticed.
By now, the truth is that she has nowhere else to go, for going back to her family would only bring shame and dishonor to them all, and she's almost certain she would still be forced into the marriage she ran away from in the first place. Besides, there is something in her dark rescuer that intrigues her greatly; makes her want to pursue his pirate endeavors as he does them. It helps that he navigates the oceans constantly, barely ever making land to places where she cannot follow.
After he'd tried to save her life, she'd escaped back to the water. She'd started to swim away, but decided against it, following his ship back out over the sea instead. First, it had merely been to make sure the person who tried to save her from near-death reached land safely wherever he was headed next. It had also been curiosity for his culture and his kind, but then, as she kept watch over his travels, it turned into admiration for his handsome face and kind heart—because, as she finds later, he never tells anyone of her existence (and neither does his friend). No, tales of her existence come from unexpected mouths later on.
She notices that his crew grows over the months, and here and there, she picks up pieces of their language. There is a large, orange-haired man called Jūgo, a rambunctious blond called Naruto, a white-haired man by the name of Suigetsu, and a silver-haired, older man called Kakashi. There is also a redhead woman who always seems to follow Sasuke around everywhere he goes, but of this woman, she cares not enough. Something about her brings a heavy emotion to her chest for reasons unknown.
As for him, Sasuke is what he's named. Uchiha Sasuke, she eventually hears in passing, and one of the most fearsome pirates around these waters.
They sail the open seas for months, only touching land twice—once, back in the island she'd first met him. She had spied from the shore; watched him and his team slaughter all the men that had attacked them that one fateful day. In his attacks, Sasuke is fearless, ruthless. The second time they touch land, it is to recruit a man named Shikamaru and a woman by the name of Temari, a couple who have been strategists to many a sailor before.
One night, as the entire crew gathers around and eats pork on deck, heading for lands unknown, Shikamaru—a man with a sharp mind, the most horrible addiction to tobacco, and the spikiest of hairs always contained in a ponytail—tells them of a story about a beautiful woman with half the body of a human and half the body of a fish. It is then that Sakura listens more attentively, her interest piqued for both her kind and the reaction from a certain man on board.
Shikamaru continues, "A siren, she is called, roaming the oceans in search of men to lure in with their songs..."
Suigetsu gives him a slap on the back, his mouth still full of food as he gives a hearty laugh.
"What kind of nonsense, ye dirty ol' man."
Temari cuts in, her tone leaving no room for doubt.
"It's true; you may find such creatures in the north. And every full moon, the sirens only need get touched by the moon's glow to develop human legs, ones that only last for that one night. If they shall manage to ensnare one sailor while in this form, they may choose to be human forever."
Sakura listens closely, but from the angle she's looking, she can barely discern Sasuke's expression—it's already hard enough to spy on a group of untrustworthy sailors. All she sees is his head hung low and his hand holding a bottle of rum.
Naruto shares a loaded look with him across the circle, but says nothing.
The topic is changed not long after by Suigetsu.
As Sakura spares a glance at the new moon above her, she wonders. She knows not of these creatures who sing to lead men to their deaths, but she still wonders about the legend of it all: could it be true? Could what Temari says hold to the test, were she to breach the surface under a full moon's glow?
Sakura dives back into the sea. And for days, all she does is wait.
A year and three days after Sakura meets Sasuke for the first time, the inexplicable happens.
A little ways off the coast of the land of Sound, Sakura's tail blends and shifts into two long, pale legs—very human, pretty legs, she regards—under the next full moon. Already sitting on the wooden carving of a large eagle (Sasuke's invention at the front of the ship), she watches as her scales seem to melt into what Temari warned everyone about weeks ago.
Her eyes barely believe it, and for the longest time, she can only stare and test the mobility of her feet and toes.
After a few minutes, though, she hears Naruto's boisterous laughter from behind her. Turning and holding onto the wooden sculpture for support as she tests the strength of her new legs, she leans over the ship's edge just enough to catch the topic of the blond's discussion.
Sasuke holds the wheel steady as Naruto blabbers on and, from time to time, he offers his own curt remarks.
Sakura looks down at her legs, a shiver running through her at the cool air of the night; her long hair is usually the only coverage she has over her bare body, but all supple skin seems to let the cool air penetrate more roughly.
She looks back up at Sasuke and notices that there's barely anyone out on the deck; it's only Sasuke and Naruto here, then Jūgo on the other side of the ship, looking out into the calm waters of the ocean tonight.
She tightens her hold on the wooden edge, afraid to fall into the water—though, if she were to go back to the ocean, would her tail reappear, or does the enchantment hold steady for the entire night? Regardless, she's human now, and she doesn't want to wait for the next full moon to try talking to the pirate a few steps away. So close, always, yet so far from reach.
Sakura watches for a few more minutes before Naruto holds Sasuke's shoulder with one hand, bidding his farewells for the night. That's another pattern she's noticed from him: Sasuke mostly sleeps during the day, and only for two or three hours at a time.
After Naruto walks away, Sakura rises. She climbs over the wooden rail—her upper strength not gone, thankfully—and lands on the planked floor with a soft, silent thud. The sound of the waves under them hides her steps, so she moves closer to Sasuke without a second thought, almost completely entranced and taken by their close proximity. He's on elevated ground, steering the ship with a concentrated frown over his features.
It's not long after she starts going up the stairs that lead to him that she recalls Temari's story. Sirens sing to entrance men, and if she has been able to develop her legs from the same tale, couldn't she be able to ensnare him with her voice as well? It all sounds absurd; in more ways than one, it seems wrong to charm him with powers, to be honest, but a short song wouldn't hurt, right?
Alongside the sound of rough waves, with only the moon to illuminate them, she starts humming a song her mother used to sing to her when little. The lullaby is soft and slow throughout, and his reaction is immediate.
At once, his eyes widen and his head turns, trying to locate the sound. She doesn't know about sirens luring men to their deaths, but she does know of pretty, ancient songs from the sea. For her voice to have an effect on the man of her dreams only makes her that much more willing to sing to him. Adrenaline courses through her body when she finally reaches the deck he's standing on, his back turned to her as he holds the wheel tightly.
A breeze blows through them, shaking his wild strands of hair and carrying her voice to him like the echo of a sweet afterthought; or a dark cave hidden deep within the ocean. The high notes paralyze him, and he moves not even when he finally feels someone's presence at his back—why can't he move?
He hears his name, a whisper of, "Sasuke-kun," within the song, then the press of a soft body behind him, a small hand moving up his torso. The whisper echoes all around him, as if he were trapped in a room at the bottom of the sea, melodic and sweet. Only his mother used to call him by that endearing name, but this is not her voice nor her touch.
Sakura resorts back to simple humming as she rounds him, prying one of his hands off the wheel so she can stand between his chest and the artifact. His eyes, though they are bathed in partial darkness, instantly recognize her as they meet her gaze. She sees it as clear as she hears his gasp.
"Long time no see, savior."
Sasuke can't move, and it's pissing him off more than she could ever imagine. And yet, he does remember her—how could he ever forget such a sight? Such long, pink hair and coral green eyes, the silver scales of her-
He glances down her body and, along with noticing the state of undress she's in, takes note of the pair of legs she stands on. A thousand and one thoughts run through his head all at once.
"Where is- How are ye-" He curses aloud, then finally finds the self-control to take a step back as she stops humming the most dizzying, saccharine melody. "What is the meaning of this?"
Sasuke staggers backward even farther, looking at her like he's seen a ghost. In reality, he watches her stroll toward him with a lump in his throat, her legs taking slow, purposeful steps toward him, as if she's always been able to walk so captivatingly. Her pale skin gives off a sheer look, shining under the moonlight—and her eyes, when shrouded in darkness, still manage to give off a glow, almost like the stars are held within them. The light is faint, but just as captivating as the last time he'd seen her.
"Your crew mate spoke once of a siren able to sing bewitching songs, and turn her scales to skin under a full moon." She continues advancing, her smile turning a certain level of sinister, making him reach for the sword at his hip. "Do you remember?"
She looks like an evil, beautiful goddess ready to strike him down; she's a whole head shorter than him, but he's never feared an adversary as much as he does right now.
"Ye here to kill me with your song, witch?"
Her steps momentarily come to a stop at that.
She's never had a name for her kind; in her mind, she's always been one with the ocean, just another fish in the water. She supposes, based on these last promising results, that she is a siren—however, while Sasuke had been taken with her voice, he hadn't attempted to follow it and plunge into the icy waters below with blinded abandon. Maybe, then, she's another variant? One who doesn't wish for mortals' perils?
"Ye speak now? How?" He asks, then, hand still clutching the handle of his sword—but not pulling it out, she marbles.
"I learnt," she answers, then reaches him a second after.
Having her this close to him makes him want to take another step back, but the railing of the ship is digging against his back already. It's not because he finds her presence uncomfortable or unbearable, but it's because the opposite stands true. Having her so close brings him memories he's tried to bury; tried to pretend they had merely been dreams his mind once conjured many months ago. Admiring her beauty had been twisted and inadequate the day he brought her aboard; despite her appearance now, he knows she's not human like him. She doesn't belong with him on this deck, doesn't belong with him at all, in fact.
It doesn't really matter, because her starry-eyed gaze still manages to reel him in. Against his better judgment, his hand drops from the hilt of his sword along with his reasoning.
"You are injured," she breathes, and places her hand over his temple, healing what he supposes is a bruise he's overlooked there. One he clearly had not the time to look at and heal himself; all injuries turn to scars on his body, and natural scars they remain for eternity.
Her hand goes back to her side, and she frowns at the sight of the still faded scar, ever-present—could it be her power is not as strong in this form? That she is unable to heal like this?
She places her hand against his temple once more, closing her eyes in deep focus, but it is to no avail. When she moves her hand aside, the bruise remains just as it was before. With a dejected sigh, her fingers turn to trace his chiseled cheek, the hard stubble of his beard, and the defined line of his jaw.
Turning impatient, Sasuke's hand shoots out and grabs hold of her wrist, and at the chilling contact, they both still.
"How did you find me?" He mutters, utterly hypnotized by her large, doe-like eyes, but trying his best to send her back to the ocean. He remembers the day they met like it was yesterday, but he knows it's been closer to a year.
Suddenly, she uses his hold on her to pull herself closer, her body now pressed against his, her pert breasts against his clothed chest and face on his shoulder. "You are not hard to find."
She does not sing anymore, and yet, her voice beguiles him, entrances him. She clouds his mind as she easily pulls her hand back from his hold, then runs both of her hands down the sides of his chest. The mere contact makes his breath labored, his palms sweaty, his mind screaming at him to get a grip.
"Why?" He whispers, his breath mixing with hers when he looks down at her. Her very hair smells of saltwater and sunlight, intoxicating his fucking mind. "Why are ye here?"
She stills, her damp hair draping around her like a curtain, and drops her hands. The emotion in her gaze makes him want to reach out, comfort her in any way. Of course, he stands his ground and patiently waits instead, which is the sound thing to do. Because, first of all, how is this happening, and why is this happening? And why is he so enraptured by this woman of the sea? He doesn't dare move, not sure his body would listen to his heart or his head.
The small, twisted smile she gives him confirms that he would definitely not listen to his head if he should listen to his impulses.
"How could I not be? The most fearsome pirate ever known to man," she confesses, and though the fact is largely exaggerated, it still makes his heart race. "You...intrigue me."
Something like amusement flashes over his eyes. "You can heal with yer touch, yer hair glows, and you turn from half fish t' full human, but I intrigue you?"
Before she can react, however, a plank creaking somewhere in front of him makes them both flinch.
Jūgo.
At the sound of the large man climbing the stairs, Sasuke quickly grabs her by the arm and shoves her behind a thick mast, thick enough to hide her body in the middle of the night.
Soon after he turns and holds on to the wheel again, the redhead reaches him and declares they are close to land now. To Earth country.
Sasuke nods and advises him to wake the crew, for they must plan and make ready to reach land. As soon as Jūgo departs, Sasuke releases a relieved sigh and closes his eyes. Without having to turn around to know she has once again approached him, he asks, "What are ye called?"
She pauses somewhere behind him. Because of the waves, he cannot discern exactly where.
"Sakura."
Sasuke opens his eyes and contemplates the ocean in front of him, finding it fitting the way her name represents the color of her soft hair. "I will be making land soon, Sakura. Come the morning, will ye turn back?"
"I do not know," she admits.
"You cannot be here, then. Leave now."
The girl rounds him and stands next to one of the arms grabbing the wheel, her eyes hopeful, pleading with him despite his cold answer.
"May I come back?"
When he doesn't answer right away, he feels her small hand tilting his head toward her, forcing him to break contact with the open ocean before him. Without a warning, Sakura stands on her tip toes and kisses him like she has seen men do with their women back in a few towns on the surface, the action brief and sweet enough to have him wanting just a little bit more. He doubts for one whole second after she moves away, then leans down and captures her lips again, his hands leaving the comfort of the ship's wheel to hold her steady.
The witch moans into his mouth, and the sound is so chilling, so sickeningly enticing, that he groans and pulls her flush against him, her every curve melting against him. His hands trace the shape of her wide hips, clutching at the silk of her waist with unrestrained, wanton desire. When she runs her hands through his hair, he doesn't have a mind to stop.
It's natural, the way she fits against him, the way her lips move over his own, the sense of belonging he gets. But as soon as he starts feeling like he's drowning, she lets go. There's a promise to see him again under her tongue as she turns to leave, the sound of his crew reaching the main deck only a few seconds after she disappears.
The entire crew spends the day in a small town by the north of Waterfall country, stocking on supplies and getting food and drinks for their next journey, while Sasuke stays behind on the ship to negotiate with the overseers on the dock; the sad men who always have an excuse to deny him anchor at the harbor. Only that this time no one bothers him on the ship, and he doesn't have to fight anyone for any of his basic rights as a sailor.
This time, the only ships at port are empty, and the guards and merchants are nowhere to be seen. It could be due to the extremely high and humid temperatures today, but most likely due to the Spring festival that takes place in the capital of Takigakure this week.
As such, all on his own for the time being, he grabs a bottle of rum and starts drinking in the shade of his chambers. He finds the time to relax in his black slacks and sword and not much else, but not before he realizes anyone could be lurking around his ship—that anyone being Sakura and Sakura only, of course.
Decidedly, he climbs the stairs that lead to the main deck, and almost regrets the decision when he immediately starts perspiring from the unforgiving gleam of the sun.
But something catches the corner of his eye as he looks around, and when he leans over the railing to inspect the movement he had seen, his mouth goes incredibly dry very quickly, this time not because of the heat.
Down where the ship touches the calm water is a content Sakura with her eyes closed and a silly smile on her face. She floats facing the sun, letting the rays touch her pretty face, moving her tail gently against the current in order to avoid drifting toward the shore.
Sasuke is transfixed and utterly smitten just by looking at her from afar, and when she opens her eyes and fixes her gaze directly on his own, she gasps and dips under the water in a quiet splash. He is momentarily confused, memories of the night prior reminding him that Sakura is a woman of confidence, of allure, of courage; and definitely not one to cower in fear. He is proven correct only a few seconds later when he hears a knock against the railing by his steering wheel.
He approaches the woman perched and nestled comfortably between the upward wings of his eagle carving, looking up at him with a joyful smile. She leans toward him, but they are too far apart. Even if he bends half his body over the railing, she would be just far out of reach.
"This where ye stare at me every night?" He asks, to which she blushes a furious red over the apples of her cheeks.
"Not every night."
Sasuke has the urge to smile down at her, the sound of her voice already reaching deep into his bones.
He takes a swig of his rum and looks at her as he swallows, the interest in her eyes making them sparkle with curiosity.
"I see men drink out of those bottles constantly. What is it?"
"Rum," he says, but at her confusion, he explains further. "Liquor. Enough of it makes ye dizzy."
A look crosses her features. "Why would anyone wish to feel like that?"
At his shrug, she reaches with her hand up in a silent plea. Without a word, he leans over the railing and deposits the rum bottle in her hand. It's more than halfway empty, but when she takes a small sip and winces, then proceeds to down the rest of it in one fast go, he's too stunned to caution any words of advice for novice drinkers.
All he can do is grab the empty bottle she gives back to him and put it aside by his feet.
"That drink is putrid, Sasuke-kun."
He snorts at her and shakes his head. "Why drink it, then?"
"Because when I get dizzy and fall, you might feel compelled to save me again," she says, her eyes brimming with playfulness.
Sasuke shifts his eyes over to the horizon, beads of sweat rolling down his bare chest and back already. The sun is unrelenting; shouldn't she be in the water on such a hot day?
"Ye shant be here. Anyone could see you."
"There is no one outside. This is the time people eat, no?"
Sasuke weaves a hand through his long hair, the bangs sticking to his face from the sweat there. He can barely think straight in this heat.
"It is very hot today. Don't ye needs to be in the water?"
"So why don't you come down to the water with me?"
His heart skips a beat, but he shakes his head once. This does not stop her. Of course it doesn't.
"Take a quick dip with me; I promise it won't take long. You need it, too."
Now he does look at her, but not because of her words, but because he soon hears the splash of something breaking the surface of the water. When he looks down, Sakura's waving a hand at him, yelling at him to join her.
As he drops his sword and takes off his slacks, he reasons that he will go in solely because he does not want her to be exposed to any onlookers. She is being incredibly loud, after all.
Sasuke jumps overboard and enters the bliss that is the cold water with his eyes closed, but he opens them as he swims toward the surface, not missing Sakura looking at him under the water. Like this, in her element, with her eyes glowing and her hair floating around her, she is much scarier than ever before. He won't ever let her know that, though.
When he reaches the surface, the first thing he hears is Sakura's melodic laugh, and the first thing he feels are her arms wrapping around his shoulders like it is the most normal gesture between them both. Sasuke feels his hands embrace her before he even has the mind to process his actions, his lips finding her own in no time. Apart from loud, she's also annoying.
He doesn't miss the chance to catch sight of her from then on. Now that he knows her hiding spot, he tries to look for her at least once every night.
But she did not lie that day in Waterfall. She's not at his ship every single night, only some here and there; perhaps she needs to hunt for food, perhaps she needs some time on her own, but he only sees her from time to time.
Sometimes he will just glance in her direction and spot a shadow and nothing more, and sometimes he finds the opportunity to approach her and speak with her as soon as his crew disappears below deck for the night. To anyone who might see him, he would look like a sailor admiring the starry horizon or the waves below.
And this is how it goes for the next few weeks: stolen glances and hidden talks. All attraction aside, Sakura is not the worst person to talk to—that would be Naruto for sure. She can actually hold a conversation quite well, and they both share similar values despite their different worlds. It makes it all harder to notice why they could never work.
Sasuke and his crew are three weeks from their next destination when he sees her as a human once more. The whole crew is already asleep below deck while he's at the wheel, and there is nothing that prepares him for the thunderstorm that is Sakura.
She appears out of thin air and whisks him away, jumping into his arms and attacking his mouth like a woman starved. Her strong thighs hook around his waist and her hands are all over him: pulling, scratching, pushing.
He barely has time to follow her lead, but he'll be damned if he hasn't been craving her just as much all this time. Always within reach but unable to have her like he wants to. It's slowly been driving him insane.
He leans her against the big steering wheel as he moves his lips against her own, finally succumbing to a rhythm they can both lose themselves to: surprisingly, a very slow dance. Gentle, soft, just like her. He kisses her patiently, deeply, grinding his pelvis into the heat of her sex with just as much hurriedness.
Her hands cradle his face as she pours all of her affection on him, then slide over to his hair, pulling the strands at the nape with care. Every time he pushes himself against her, she feels a burst of pleasure course through her entire body in small shocks. He has her grinding back on him, mewling her pleasure with every intimate thrust.
It's all so delicate that she has trouble remembering who she is anymore. Lost in the moment, she's Sakura the human girl, nineteen and wild, kissing her twenty-two year old lover under the glow of a full moon. No pirate, no bounty over his head, no human hybrid with the tail of a fish.
Just them.
Of course, this is far from the truth. And although Sasuke touches her everywhere that night with his hands and kisses her everywhere with his lips, he does not fully claim her as his own. In his heart there is nothing that says this is meant to be.
Three weeks later, they arrive at Sound for a business transaction. One of the pirates with the oldest reputations in the living world has called for Sasuke, and he's bound to answer the call by law.
However, negotiations in Sound are not as fruitful as they had all hoped. Sasuke, Naruto, and Shikamaru present themselves in the brothel of one of the most notorious pirates around the North, if not the most, but he is not interested in speaking to all of them. Instead, he motions solely to Sasuke, and the other two crew members are forced to stay behind as their captain heads into the man's study room alone.
Orochimaru is not a very hard man to please. With the right amount of money, much like any other pirate, he's bound to be persuaded. This Sasuke has learnt from the few times he has had to meet with him over the years. However, this time, Orochimaru is not necessarily looking for money.
He looks for a treasure unlike any other: a woman with hair of silk and a voice that carries the sound of death itself—and a tail for legs. When Sasuke questions his credibility, as if the entire concept is new to him, Orochimaru chuckles and drinks down his wine.
"I don't have to explain meself to you. But if you must know, me sailors have spotted a woman fitting the description. Surely, you have heard of the legend; the myth. A siren, a mermaid... Oh, to have such creature in me hands."
"Such a creature does not exist. Ye'r hearing children's tales."
Orochimaru doesn't think so, for he takes another sip of his wine and chuckles more, a smile spreading his lips. "Look and ye may find gold..." With his unoccupied hand, he shows him a satchel of coin tied around his waist, giving it a light shake for reassurance. Sasuke shifts on his feet.
"State your deal."
Orochimaru smirks at him, then rises from his seat at the table, motioning to a map laid open in the middle. It has every location she has been seen marked. It doesn't take long for Sasuke to realize it's also almost every location he has been sailing to and from these past few months.
"It seems, young Sasuke, that she is spotted not far from wherever you sail at any given moment. Strange, aye?"
Sasuke has the blade of his sword against Orochimaru not a beat later, his breath coming out in fumes through his nose.
"Ye should know not to speak to a Captain from my clan like that. Any pirate worth his salt knows how dangerous that ought to be."
"Oh, awares I am, aye. Itachi-kun was truly a wonder before he walked the plank."
Sasuke has him pinned to the wall by the collar of his shirt before he can blink, the rough shove knocking the breath out of the snake's lungs for a few seconds.
"Do not speak of my brother, serpent, or I will cut yer tongue out."
And though it is true, Orochimaru sees beyond his outermost shell. He gives Sasuke a crooked smile.
"Sensitive, are we? Me wonders why that be..."
Sasuke stares at him with hatred, contempt. It's not often that someone dares mention his brother's name and lives to tell the tale, but to know of Sakura halts his most primal urges. He tries to listen through the static in his head.
"Could it be because ye know this sea witch?" Orochimaru asks, his voice a murmur between them. "Could it be because it's personal?"
Sasuke has his blade cutting through the outermost layer of his skin now. But Orochimaru is old and knowing, and he does not react nor care. There is plenty worse he has experienced; this is just a warning.
"Ye had me followed, aye. Why have ye not attacked if there was talk of such creature aboard my ship?" Sasuke asks.
"Well, well, dearest. We wouldn't wish for this woman t' run away, would we? I need her for me plans, that is, and ye have her trust."
"That is if she's with me," Sasuke corrects.
Orochimaru nods slightly, a trail of blood running down his neck at the movement. "Certainly, dear," he concurs.
"If so, I am willing t' reward her arrival more generously, of course," he continues, then licks his lips as he thinks of an appropriate sum of money. "Four times the bag, shall it be?"
Sasuke thinks upon this. He needs the currency, that is true; ever since he lost his crew a year ago, the costs on his ship's upkeep have put a dent on his riches. He hasn't seen enough gold to afford more than scraps in too long now, and for a pirate, that could just as well mean his death.
With a nod, he drops the sword from his neck and relinquishes his hold on his shirt, letting him slump against the wall for a second.
He slides his sword in its sheath and makes up his mind, knowing just how to get all the man's riches without giving Sakura away—because he could never, not for the most coveted of prizes, and he knows.
"Aye," he agrees, and leaves with the promise to return.
One week later under a full moon, Sakura sits on his bed with one of his large shirts over her body. She leans her back against the wall as she looks through a few scrolls he had laid out before while looking for something else in his small bookshelf. Of course, she is still unable to read, so she only tries to decode a few maps and a few other drawings in silence.
Sasuke spares her a glance from his large desk, his hands on the surface as he leans over, then looks back down at the scroll he had found; details on the trade routes around these waters, which are always more ambiguous than its neighboring countries. He'd taken Sakura to his chambers after she'd arrived, careful to not rouse any of his crew mates from sleep in their respective rooms. Thankfully, the entire ordeal had gone flawlessly, and now she lay on his bed like the day he found her—only that now she is not with a tail, and she's lying there like she belongs.
"When I spoke to Orochimaru, he seemed t' have quite the request," he says, feeling her sharp eyes on him a second later.
He hears her open another scroll. "What was it?"
For a few minutes, all he does is stare at his scroll in silence, annotating details here and there along the trade routes, the market prices, and the rates of conversion.
"He wants me to deliver ye to him."
Sasuke looks at her from across the room, and she pauses her inspection of the scroll, letting it down on the bed gently. When she looks up at him, he recognizes the mixture of confusion and uncertainty in her gaze; maybe not necessarily worried that someone wants to acquire her, but definitely wondering what he had possibly answered the man. Before she can form any erroneous ideas in her head, he straightens his back and walks over to the bed, sitting on the edge. He faces her, frown marring his features.
"Nothing will happen t' you," he assures her, watching as her shoulders relax involuntarily. "He offered coin, however. I needs to fool the bastard somehow; get the coin and...leave without me part of the deal."
A short silence ensues, one which gives Sakura the hope she hasn't had the time to acquire yet. Slowly, she brings her legs up to her chest, hugging them with her arms. She feels the skin there, soft and warm, much unlike the coarse, cold scales of her tail. Even after months of turning into this, the change is still strange to her. Not necessarily a negative experience, but so different from what she has been used to her whole life. The life that she left behind when she swam beyond Kai...
She looks at Sasuke.
"You know, there is a way for me to remain human forever," she says, but when Sasuke doesn't acknowledge her, she continues. "If I were to stay in this form, no pirate would ever threaten you for me."
At this, Sasuke spares her a lopsided smile, his eyes twinkling with sin. "Trust me, Sakura. They would still start wars o'er ye, even in this form."
A pretty blush paints her cheeks, and he has to stop himself from reaching over to kiss her. The shirt dwarves her completely and hides her body from him, but with her legs pulled toward her chest, he can still see her soft thighs; he can almost feel them squeeze around his head; he can almost taste her sweetness again.
"Don't you want me to stay this way?"
A heartbeat, a pause, a flutter of pretty pink eyelashes.
Sasuke takes a deep breath through his nose and exhales, because while he's always known this would be an impossible relationship to keep as it is, he's also known her lips, her mind, and her heart.
It has been beyond conflicting along these past few months to keep her close to him and also at bay, but he fails to see how it could change. Should she stay human forever and leave everything she has ever known behind, having to learn from the beginning about customs, clothing, and who knows what else? Or should she stay with him and make him the happiest pirate alive, commandeering his ship alongside himself, and birthing him strong daughters and stronger sons? As a pirate, there's nothing that tells him he can't do as he pleases, especially as a Captain.
He clears his throat.
"I... How would ye change permanently? What are ye to do?"
She doesn't ask him again, just accepts his refusal to answer her question directly. "Well, I'm not exactly sure..."
Sasuke almost cracks a smile at this; he would have, if the room wasn't feeling a little too heavy at the moment.
"Temari, when she was speaking of my kind...she said I had to ensnare a sailor to remain human."
He doesn't find the word choice amusing. He remembers Temari's tale of sirens well enough, and he knows exactly what ensnaring entails. He has had her in every way but one, and while his heart already beats for her, he knows what they have to do if she wants to remain human. Only because of this does he swallow and look away, a small blush coloring his ears.
"Ye would be far from your family."
"You know that I left my home two years ago."
"But it is all you've ever known."
Sakura's in front of him then, her hands on his cheeks, her knees on the bed.
With a breath, she whispers, "I want to be with you."
Sasuke ignores the feeling he gets inside his chest.
"Life at sea for a sailor is hard. You know nothing of sailing, you won't be able to visit your family again, you won't be able to heal yourself, you won't be able to swim like afore-"
Sakura kisses him, pressing her lips firmly to his before she moves away. "I want to be with you," she reiterates, hoping that the words will go through his thick skull. "And I know you want to be with me."
At this, something flashes across Sasuke's eyes, a small smirk pulling his lips. He has to crane his neck up to look at her. "Oh? So ye'r a fortune teller as well?"
"No, I know from the way you smell," she says, offhandedly.
"What."
"What? I'm still part animal," she explains, giving him a shrug. Sasuke looks at her in a very disturbed light.
Sakura laughs, then lets her arms rest over his shoulders, leaning down and taking a breath in the crook of his neck. She sighs in what seems like ecstasy, and Sasuke's entire body tenses at the sound.
"I can tell when a male is in heat, Sasuke-kun," she trails her hands slowly down his chest, then back up. "And you smell like you want to mate with me every time we're together."
He almost succumbs to her right then and there, with her leaving small, gentle kisses on his neck and already trying to unbutton his linen shirt. But he doesn't, because this is not just a casual encounter; this will change both of their lives. So Sasuke grabs her forearms and pushes her off, gentle but firm enough to express his seriousness, and he makes sure she's paying attention when he asks: "are you sure about this?"
There is a brief pause in which they hold each other's gazes, but when she nods with a smile that stretches her pretty pink lips, Sasuke decides to throw any more of his hesitation overboard. After this, they'll deal with Orochimaru, strip him of all his dirty coin, and sail across the oceans looting, stealing, and drinking. Together.
