*Author's note: Sorry it has been a while, I ran out of creative juices for a bit but then I forced myself to write and before I knew it I had written three chapters lol. Apologies if there a perhaps some blotchy moments, I tried to edit the best I could but honestly I couldn't read it another time and not start bawling-apologies again if that gives something away- Also the next chapter should be up in the next day or two and maybe the following chapter in a week.
OH! I can't remember if I did this before or not, because my memory is something awful, but I am truly thankful and appreciative for the reviews everyone gives! Keep reviewing and if you're ever bored or want to fuss at me for this chapter feel free to message me lol.*
Orochimaru's POV
I stared down as Kabuto prostrated himself in front of me as he normally did, when he failed to carry out a mission. I narrowed my eyes as he continued to tell me of his failure to get rid of Suna prince. I am extremely disappointed. However, it does not come as any surprise to me. I quietly tapped on Manda's glass. I could not see him in there, but I knew he could hear me.
Kabuto stopped his babbling awaiting my response. I smirked, "Kabuto, what you say does not surprise me." I spoke. I stepped closer to him and touched the back of his head with my index finger. "That is why I only sent you and two men as…reinforcement. However, I am disappointed I had to rely on one of Manda's ghost snake incantations." I muttered bitterly.
I took my finger from his head and turned around with my back to him. "Despite this minor inconvenience Sasuke and you have caused…I will see to it that I do not have any more setbacks of any sort." I calmly spoke. I turned my head looking down at him ignoring the familiar dark figure coming closer to Kabuto. He had raised his head and looked up at me.
"I am going to continue to pursue my goal, I do hope the next time I assign something to you, you will not fail me." I spoke sternly. I raised my gaze, "Punish him." I ordered. Kabuto turned quickly, but Manda struck with a speed to rival that of a strike lightning.
I smirked as Kabuto's body went from aggressive to limp in Manda's tight grip. He removed his fangs from Kabuto's shoulder and let go of the limp body. It made a loud thud as it met the ground. I glanced at the guards, "Remove him from my sight. Inform me when he comes to." I commanded. They jolted and ran to Kabuto's body, being careful to avoid Manda as he wiped blood from his lips and cheeks and used his forked tongue to lick the blood from his hand.
"You have made a mess of your prey…your attacks are becoming sloppy." I complained. Manda chuckled and raised his gaze to meet my eyes. "Whose fault is that? I am kept in that fucking cage as if I am some pet." He spat bitterly. His long, deep purple hair fell around his face and a few strands were in front of his green snake eyes.
"You seek to be free to scrounge the dirt for food? Or become food yourself?" I inquired. His eyes got wide and his face flushed with embarrassment. He glared at me then looked away angrily. I smirked. As my guardian he could not refuse his loyalty to me, not only that, but he knew as I did that snake guardians are regarded highly as a rare delicacy in many parts of Konoha as well as the rest of the world. Such is the reason why he is the last of his kind.
"Do not make such a disgusting face." I spoke and crossed my arms as I walked to my outlay of the countries. He approached me and stared down at the outlay. "Sasuke prevented my pet from getting to the mind of the prince." He whispered. "I saw such a thing, yet it serves as a means to show our ability and will instill a fear amongst them." I spoke.
"Even so, without one of your seals I will not be able to show myself." He muttered slowly turning to face me. I continued to stare down at the outlay. "That is perfectly fine. Rather I have another task for you to take care of in place of Kabuto." I spoke and faced him. He nodded his head, "Then we will have Sasuke back in this castle?" He asked with a hint of eagerness.
I sneered, "Yes of course. His love for the illusion of freedom is damning. Soon he will falter and fall into a cavern, where you and I will be his only saving grace." I assured him. He grinned, "It will truly be a treat to have him back in my grasp." He whispered eagerly.
He grabbed my shoulder and slowly his entire body slowly began to morph. He placed his head on my shoulder. I reached out my arm and his snake body coiled around it. I chuckled, "Everything is going just as I planned."
Gaara's POV
I sighed as we continued on the brazen trail Sasuke was leading me on. He had gotten me up earlier in the day after he had been away for two days. My hand and arms still hurt from having touched the heat of the burning wood, yet the pain was not too great.
While he had been gone, Kakashi took the liberty to tell me about how he had been an admiral in Orochimaru's naval fleet, but fired after he returned with Sasuke. He told me of his time traveling with Sasuke. His eyes glistened as he recalled the memories.
It was the evening of the second day when I found the scars from the wormlike creatures had disappeared. It was strange to say the least. I want to ask Sasuke why that happened, but I am fearful of his response. When I asked Kakashi about it, he told me to ask Sasuke which did not help. I did not feel as if Shikamaru or Kiba would speak to me as they seemed to be blatantly avoiding my contact.
"I am surprised you have made it this far." I heard Sasuke call out to me. I looked further up the path and saw him at the top of the insufferable hill. I groaned in frsutration. I had hoped we could walk beside one another. It would have been easier for me to ask him about the meaning of the kiss we shared.
I am sure such a thing is normal for him. Yet, my heart trembles when I remember his lips against mine. It seemed like a fleeting moment, one that had an everlasting memory. Was it the same for him? Ah, it does not matter. I have decided to tell him my true feelings towards him, my true intention by choosing him to escort me to Ningyo Island. If he holds feelings towards me then I will find out soon.
I finally reached him and he smiled, "I suppose the prince of Suna cannot be mistaken for a lazy fool." He said. I looked at him while trying to catch my breath. "To assume such a thing is a mistake for anyone." I told him confidently. Of course, he may not harbor any feelings towards me…as unfortunate as it may I must stay realistic. Love does not happen so soon, I should know this…yet I know I am hoping it would do so for me.
He took my hand and pulled me further into the small clearing. I slowly walked further with him to the edge of the hill. It seemed like the gods had cut it in half with a single blow. The view it had is astounding. You could see as far as your eyesight would go, a vision truly humbling. With the ocean to the right and a vast array of plains and forests, with a few villages throughout the land, it made a beautiful and remarkable landscape.
"After I left Orochimaru's castle, Kakashi would bring me here to spar." Sasuke spoke. I looked back at him, his face calm and reflective. My eyes dropped down to his hand still holding mine. The warmth is comforting, then my mind flashed back to our kiss. I quickly pulled my hand from his and crossed my arms awkwardly. He seemed surprised by my actions and muttered an apology.
He turned and walked to a stone slab with two big rocks under it, as if to be a makeshift chair. He sat down and patted the small space beside him. I smiled, "This is a relieving sight, so that I may rest after you dragged me up this mountain." I spoke and sat down beside him being sure our bodies did not touch, especially with the threat of remembering our kiss.
I stared out at the view as silence surrounded us. The landscape view was obscured by my distance from the edge. However, there were sounds of bird singing and the clear sky still made for a peaceful atmosphere. The absence of voice made it seem as if I were alone. Yet I knew I was not. If I were simply turn my head the slightest to the right, I would see him. The temptation grew, but I ignored it and looked to my left. I saw the annoying path we took to get here.
"Kakashi told me you wanted to ask me something." Sasuke spoke, which sounded like thunder as it broke the silence. I nodded after calming myself from the interruption, "Yes…why is it that my wounds have healed?" I looked at him anticipating his answer. He stared out in front of us, making no movement, as if he had not heard me.
His eyebrows rose slightly, "I was not expecting a simple question." He muttered and looked down smiling. He seemed relieved. "Thanks to Orochimaru, my salvia has healing properties, although they have slowly been deteriorating. That is how your wounds were able to heal." He replied. He looked up out at the view then at me and smiled.
Several more questions came into my mind. "What did Orochimaru have to do with it?" I inquired first. He looked away shaking his head. "Orochimaru sent Kakashi to 'save' me from my banishment. He brought me to Orochimaru. Orochimaru told me of my family's demise and assured me that he would have a suitable use for me." He explained and scoffed.
His eyes darkened as he began to speak, "He did find several uses for me. He used me as a form of entertainment for officials who would come to stay in his castle." He said bitterly. "I am not sure what swayed his decision, but he had me put into a prison cell with several crazy kids, who were 'useless' to him. They whispered about some sort of monster that came in your sleep and would rob you of your mind." He shrugged
"I had assumed their words were the result of them being isolated in such a place. However, such was not the case." He muttered and looked at me. "That night I stayed awake, due to their constant warnings to me." He said and shook his head. I leaned in a bit like a child intrigued by an old wise tale.
"What did you see?" I inquired. He bit his lip and sighed, "I did not see anything. It was what I heard that instilled a small fear inside me. The sound of skin being punctured and bones crushed echoed through the silent dungeon, followed by a deathly shriek. All the other kids began shouting and shuffling around in the pitch black cell."
He pushed his fingers through his hair, as he seemed to be recalling the event, "After having lived on the island where I was, I had come used to animal tracking and hiding from predators. The following day when the torches inside the dungeon were lit our eyes fell upon the corpse of the kid." He explained and lifted his gaze, his eyes reflecting some type of remorse.
"I began to search the body for puncture wounds before someone came to get the body. I found them in his left wrist. I looked around and found two parallel lines in the dirt of the cell that led towards a small entrance to the cell." He explained and sighed. "I told them it was a large snake, which did not put their minds to any ease."
"I stayed awake as many days as I could, it was something I got used to while living in banishment. However, you can only refuse the draw of the sleep for so long." He said and took in a deep breath. His entire demeanor changed. His eyes became darker as his stare went from carefree to hateful. His eyebrows furrowed and a grimace came onto his face.
"They promised to wake me up at nightfall, but I suppose to keep another one of their own from being bitten, I became the prey." He said as if he still harbored ill feelings towards them. My heart sank hearing him talking about this, but it could bring any words to stop him. "I remember the pain of the bite in my leg waking me from my sleep. Then my entire body stiffened as the poison travelled in my body. Soon it invaded my mind and began gnawing at my brain." He spoke grimly.
After a few minutes of sitting in silence he scoffed, "I am not sure what happened aside the constant agony and dark visions. I eventually came to in a cold sweat in a cell of my own." He explained a smile coming to his solemn face. His eyes were filled with hatred and a scowl trying to push the smile from his face. It scared me.
"Months went by and every time I came out of the insanity Manda put me through, he would send me through an even worse ordeal." He continued and leaned back. He stared down at the ground hatefully.
"Who is Manda?" I asked. "Manda is Orochimaru's pet. He is the one that sent the ghost snake after you." He explained. What? There were ghost snakes? "So then what you pulled out me…they weren't real?" I asked.
He chuckled, "They were real. They would have been extremely painful, that is if they had gotten into your head. Otherwise, they are not used to poison you. They are they venom from Manda's ghost snake, which cause you to suffer painful convulsions and nightmares." He explained.
"How is that you have healing salvia then?" I asked not being able to connect the story with my question. He nodded, "Orochimaru found out that his pet's attacks were not affecting me the way he wanted. He began casting dark magic over me. It gave me unnatural abilities; each of them seemed to weaken my mind against Manda, but never to where I became a corpse like the other kids. Some of the abilities remained a part of me, like the healing ability." He explained ending with a long sigh.
"How is it that you were able to leave Orochimaru's castle?" I asked and immediately felt embarrassed to have not given him any time to regain his mind after such a troubling topic. He shrugged, "It wasn't easy. After several trial and errors, I made out, I cannot recall exactly how I did it, but it happened. I met Kakashi, who had been cast out from the castle. I convinced him to join me and we set out to travel the world."
I felt my mind becoming a huge mesh of questions, ideas, and thoughts of curiosity. However, when I faced Sasuke he looked as if he was done speaking about the past. His face held regret and weariness. I felt my cheeks flush and I looked away from him. Even with a such a pitiful look he is handsome. I took a deep breath and let out loudly.
"Ah…it seems there is so much more to my idol, than I had presumed. Your life has been filled with strife and events that I did not know of…" I placed my hand on his shoulder. "I feel honored for you to share them with me."
Sasuke looked at me, "I'm sure being the prince of Suna gives you plenty of adventures." He spoke sarcastically regaining a more playful attitude. I scoffed and smiled, "Actually it did, avoiding my older sister and her watchful eye kept my childhood busy. That is until she left, then I spent my time avoiding my father's disapproving glares." I told him.
"Not a father's pet?" He asked smiling. I shook my head, "No, I hardly knew my father up until the time that both my siblings had left to pursue their own endeavors." I explained feeling some sense of relief to speak about such matters.
"In the beginning, Kankuro had welcomed the idea of becoming the heir to the throne, but one day his resolve caved and in a fit of rage he left. With Temari already gone and Kankuro a disgrace, the responsibility to take over the throne fell unto my shoulders." I spoke remembering the day as vividly as if it had happened yesterday.
Father came to my room whilst Naruto and I were becoming more intimately acquainted. He immediately began spouting orders towards both of us. I despised his blatant, cold attitude towards anything that was not Suna business. Every time he spoke, it was in regards to Suna and anything else was a lesser matter.
"So my training as the future king of Suna began. I did not take it as seriously as I should have in the beginning. I sought my own pleasure whenever my father was not around." I told him. Even though I say that, father rarely left my side, in order that he make sure I did not make a clumsy mistake which would ruin the "glorious" reputation of Suna.
"What pleasures would a prince seek?" Sasuke asked curiously. My eyes widened at the question. I did not expect him to hold any concern for something trivial. I shrugged, "I pursued a relationship with someone of my own likeness." I admitted coolly. "There is another person with radiant hair the color of blood and such fair skin?" He asked. I felt my cheeks fill with heat at his flirty question.
"No, you mistake my statement. I sought a relationship with another man." I corrected him and smiled. His eyebrows rose and a smile formed on his face. "Is that so?" He asked.
"Of course such a thing was strongly frowned upon, especially by the old men of the council. Yet I paid no mind to their whining." I remarked and looked away shrugging. Several times they would come to me asking about my sexual nature as if I owed them any answer. Often making sexual advances, but those in the royal family are trained to defend themselves in such situations should they prove to be…harmful to his reputation.
"Who was this other man?" He asked his voice in a familiar scolding tone. I shook my head, "Who he is makes no difference, nor do I care to remember the man. Our relationship was on mutual terms…we did not pursue much further than the sexual premise we established." I explained and stood up. I slowly walked towards the edge of the hill and crossed my arms in an attempt to keep from being pummeled by judgement.
"So you are no longer a virgin?" He asked his voice deepening with each syllable. "No I am no longer a virgin, as many in my country already know." I told him boldly. I have had to stone myself from the hurls of insults, which would ensue. Even if you are the sole ruler, once you go against a solid custom, suddenly you are the trash of the streets.
Suddenly I felt a chill trickle down my spine as the air became cold. I turned around to face Sasuke, despite my better judgement to remain with my back facing him. His eyes were not focused on me; rather they cast their deathly glare on the ground. The air around him gave off a menacing feeling. "Who was it?" He asked again, this time his voice caused my heart to tremble and fear to swell in my mind.
"It does not matter who he is! I will tell you that a hundred times over." I spoke sternly. His eyes lifted up to me and pierced my heart with their strong glare. "Obviously he mattered enough for you to go against your country's law." He muttered.
I took in a deep breath and let it out immediately, "He did not matter to me in that sense! The reason I even did that with him was because…because I loved you and…I used him to visualize…to um sate my growing desires." I exclaimed slowly realizing that my mouth was speaking my heart too irrationally. I looked down as I felt my cheeks becoming hotter with my embarrassment. Well, in an abundance of the heart the mouth will speak.
"That sounds quite rational. ' I am in love with someone, so I will fuck someone else just to relieve my sexual desires.' I did not know you were so loose, otherwise I would have taken advantage of such a thing, before you leave." He spat. My eyes widened at his harsh words. I lifted my head angrily, "You are certainly one to cast your disapproving gaze against me! Do not fool yourself, if I held any ounce of passion for you it has dried at your harsh words." I shouted.
"Well then I might as well continue and tell you Orochimaru hired my crew and me to get rid of you." He said and stood up. My anger lowered as my expectation of them betraying me came to fruition and pushed my previous thoughts out of my mind. I had wanted to believe that he would not do such a thing, but he is a pirate. It was a suspicion I held, yet had hope would remain as such.
"When we came to this port I couldn't bring myself to harm you." He explained and took in a deep breath and looked up at the sky. "What about the worm thing? You had nothing to do with that?" I asked, hoping he did not collaborate with Orochimaru in that idea.
He shook his head, "That was solely Orochimaru's doing, why else would I save you?" He asked looking at me. I shrugged, "I had wondered the same thing." I replied. I felt relieved that he had nothing to do with it.
His face became surprised. "Wait you-" "I had a reason to be suspicious of Orochimaru, yet I had hoped you would not have been some sort of tool in whatever scheme he had." I admitted staring at Sasuke.
He ran his fingers through his dark hair, it glistened under the light of the sun. "Kakashi was right, you would know of any plots against you." He muttered. A smile came to my lips, "I am the prince of Suna, I could not be able to count on my two hands the number of times in which my life has been in some sort of 'danger.' I am trained from my youth into adulthood to be alert towards any and everything that goes on around me." I explained.
"How long did you know?" He asked. "I've known that Orochimaru would make an attempt on my life since the day he came into my kingdom with the story of the golden-tailed mermaid. Of course the tale intrigued me. I still intend to pursue the elusive creature. When he spoke of having you be my escort that gave me even more of an incentive to go on this journey." I admitted.
"You would risk your life and your kingdom, in order to be able to travel on the sea with me in search for a fictional creature." He chuckled and shook his head, "It is a fool's request to do such a stupid thing." He remarked. Despite the sting of his words I did not let them to waiver my decision.
I walked to him slowly. I felt my mind screaming at me for deciding to do this, but I ignored my better judgement. The only words I truly listened to from my father were, "If you hold a desire for something, pursue it. Do not settle for anything less than that. I desired to rule this great country and I have. My blood, sweat, and tears have molded the country it is. This country has become more than a job, it is my very life."
I felt my heart pound hard and fast against my chest, "I would risk my life and my kingdom to be able to be this close to you. I could find a far better escort than a pirate to take me to find the mermaid..." I spoke not taking my eyes from his dark onyx eyes. "But…to be able to meet you…I would give it all up. I love you Sasuke Uchiha." I told him my very soul lingering on the edge of the hill at my admittance. A small utterance of my feelings towards him, yet they were like a weight being lifted from my shoulders.
He stared into my eyes as he began to interpret my words. I felt my chest tightening as he stood silent in front of me. I looked away from him as the silence became unbearable. "I also intend on continuing to pursue the mermaid…with you as my escort if you are able." I told him and looked back at him. He shook his head, "I cannot do that."
"Why not?" I asked surprised at his response. "I am not going to escort you on such a dangerous journey." He said. I rolled my eyes feeling as if he were treating me as some precious cargo, "Even if it is dangerous, have you not already put my life at risk? What more would going to Ningyo island be?" I asked slightly confused as to why he would recede from the invitation to a journey. He had never declined one before, why would he do so now?
He shook his head and pointed at me, "You being harmed is reason enough for me to not pursue such an endeavor with you." He spoke harshly. My eyes widened and I glared at him, "I am a man, I am not some precious porcelain figure, to merely save space on a mantle. I am capable of far better things than such a thing."
He smirked and reached his hand out to me. He touched my cheek gently. The warmth of his hand made me want to lean my head into his palm, but I could not let him see my vulnerable nature. "With your features you could fool anyone." The tender mood quickly left at his words. I immediately hit hand away. "Do not change the subject! Give me a proper reason as to why you will not escort me to the islands." I ordered.
He stood up, "I do not owe you any answer as to why I am not going to be taking you to that island. Naruto will be returning to port within a day's time and I will give you over to him. He will escort you back to your country safely." He said raising his chin confidently as if he had won over me.
I felt my heart sink and anger well up. "I do not want to go back there yet!" I exclaimed ignoring my childish behavior. He scoffed shaking his head, "You do not have a choice. I have already sent word to Naruto, so that he may arrive in the port tonight." He said staring at me.
"I will not be going with him." I spoke bitterly. Sasuke crossed his arms, "Would you like say that again your highness?" He spoke raising his eyebrows.
I kept my lips sealed tightly. Despite my strong desire to say it again, even a thousand times over. If I were, that would put me in a tough position. I am not going to go with Naruto. He is the last person I want to be alone with, let alone on a ship.
"No? Are you sure?" He asked tilting his head as if trying to instigate my anger. I bit the inside of my lips as I felt tears wanting to form. He does not understand anything. He does not acknowledge my feelings and instead treats me like everyone else. Treats me as if I should be handled with care and should only see the inside walls of that fucking castle. How much more can I say for him to understand my feelings? He must be trying to get rid of me.
My eyes widened at the small thought. I slowly lowered my head. He wants to ignore my feelings and rile me up so it will be easier for him to be rid of me...especially if I am angry towards him. If he would tell me that he did not want me to be around then perhaps I could handle such a thing.
What am I thinking? This is nothing significant. I can handle such an embarrassing event of being rejected by a pirate. Countless people have confessed their love to him. The only exception is he usually beds them…something I know now I would not want. I want more than something so primal with the person I have been in love with for so many years. However, if it is not him everything else done to me does not matter.
"Gaara, you have to go back to Suna…it is where you belong. You can go back to your life." He spoke. His words piercing all the pieces of my shattered heart like arrows with poison tips. I chuckled bitterly. He wants to get rid of me. A troublesome, worthless person like me has no place beside him.
"I will come to see you when I can, providing there is not a war between the countries." He muttered uncomfortably. I chuckled again and felt the tears stream down my cheeks. I lifted my head slowly fighting the embarrassment I had, "If I leave you now…then you will not see me again." I said in a low tone.
His eyes had widened with his shocked expression, but sighed, "If that is what you want, then so be it. But you will be leaving to go back to Suna." He said coolly. I bit my bottom lip and wiped my eyes. So that is his choice…to let me go.
I hung my head down and turned walking to the path from where we had come from. I started to walk on it. What did I expect? Did I think that he would take me into his arms in a loving embrace? He is the infamous Sasuke Uchiha, a known promiscuous pirate who binds himself to nothing but the ocean.