O h B e t t e r F a r T o L i v e A n d D i e
"It's been too long." She agreed. "Much too long."
And with a sweeping gesture of the hand Tsunade stepped aside to invite Sakura in. Her house was well furnished, she noted, but not quite too her taste. Everything was too perfect, too pristine — like she was looking inside of one of the doll houses she had been given as a child, which, despite the urgings of her parents, she had never played with. She supposed that with the money Tsunade had earned during her years of captaining, she could afford her whims, however expensive they might have seemed. The arms and of the chesterfield were carved out of a polished mahogany, that curled into whorls and pointed outwards, and the upholstery was a pale tan embroidered with gold colored thread. A matching chair sat across from it, a book propped up on its seat.
The only thing that Sakura felt she could agree with was the thick row of bookshelves on the far wall and the rather lovely tapestry that hung above the chesterfield. And besides, she thought. The house didn't suit her former mentor in the least. Tsunade had a certain degree of class, there was no mistaking it — but she was still sloppy around the edges and naturally defiant of conformity, and the house was much too well kept for someone who could hardly keep well herself. An opened bottle of scotch was hidden under the chair, either of its glass sides running parallel to the leg. A poor attempt at hiding it. "Still a drunkard, I see." Sakura said with a smirk, bending downwards and sweeping it from the floor before bringing it to her lips and taking a long drink.
"Hah, as if you're any better!" The woman scoffed, brushing long locks of golden hair over her shoulder. "Now give me that back, you presumptuous freeloader." She strode across the room in one long step, snatching the bottle roughly from the unsuspecting hands of the current Captain, and held it possessively against her full chest. "I paid good money for this. And no, don't sit your dirty bottom down on my clean furniture! God knows the last time those clothes were washed! If you really need to be seated, pull in one of the wooden chairs from the dining room. I'll make us some tea."
Tsunade disappeared into the kitchen. "They're perfectly clean, thank you very much. Except for some dried blood that I accidentally sat on the other day... But, well, never mind! God have mercy on my soul if I dirty your pretty little ornaments. I tell you, Tsunade, all this glamor has changed you." But Sakura dragged a chair from the dining room anyway, letting the hind legs scrape along the wood of the floors before letting it clatter to all fours. She did not sit, but rather browsed across the bookshelves, letting her eyes flicker briefly across each title. "Who have I to look up to now? You've turned into a prude."
"Hardly." The older woman called over her shoulder, jumping in surprise when the tea kettle screamed. "I just play the part. Retirement has its downsides, too. Relive my old lifestyle, and I might as well put a sign on my door that says: 'I'm a wanted criminal!'. Besides, being proper isn't all that bad as long as you don't let it get to your head. I don't have anyone to make a statement for any longer, Sakura. Not even myself. I already know who I am." The was the familiar clink of china teacups being set on china saucers. Sakura hadn't heard that sound for a long time. "Do you want one lump of tea in your sugar or two?"
Sakura stared at her companion incredulously as she wandered out of the kitchen cautiously, staring at the tea as it sloshed against the sides of the cup and steading her movements. Tea spilled over the edge, running down the side and forming a ring around the bottom of the cup. "Have you forgotten me completely?" The young Captain demanded as she sat herself down on the wooden chair, forgetting about the tantrum she had intended to throw about being forced to sit there, and didn't take her eyes away from the blond woman as a teacup was shoved into her hand. "Asking me such a question! Tsunade!"
"Fine, fine. You can have seven lumps of bloody sugar if you absolutely insist. You're going to eat me out of house and home. And get fat doing it, too!" Tsunade began to spoon the sugar into the cup that was outstretched towards her by Sakura, who watched with eagerly gleaming eyes. She lost count and accidentally put in eight lumps of sugar, instead. Sakura didn't complain. Tsunade leaned back and watched as Sakura took a timid sip of her drink, testing, before spewing the contents of her mouth back into the cup because it was still too hot. Her expression softened. "So tell me Sakura, who is he?"
The girl quirked a delicate, pink brow, running her tongue along her smooth teeth to soothe the burning feeling. "Who is who?"
"Don't play foolish with me, girl. You have the face of a woman in love."
C h a p t e r I X
Keelhauled
As soon as I felt my feet on solid ground, relief flooded into me and spread from my chest to my fingers and toes. I breathed in the clean air, and relished in the feeling of being more grounded than I had been in what seemed like an eternity, filled with a strong sense of purpose and determination. It had been their irreversible folly to let me off the ship, even if it had looked to be the best decision at the time. They had thrown me directly back into my element, where I wasn't distracted by sea sickness and the erratic swaying of the ground beneath my feet. How anyone could stand sailing was still beyond me.
Already my mind was calculating the best escape plans, my eyes darting about the bustling port and looking for the best route to freedom. I spotted a clear shot through a strip market, and my legs ached to run. But I kept myself firmly rooted in place. It was too early, now. He would be expecting me to run. I would have to wait until his mind drifted out of focus, because even if I could easily outrun him, which I assumed, he was still armed and I was not. The Captain had gone up ahead of us, saying that we were to join her after she had a while to visit alone, and I was left under the watchful guard of Naruto. "Best not be trying anything." He said, as if reading my mind. "It's useless."
"I'm well aware." I lied.
Of course, I would not leave Hinata or her cousin alone to fend for themselves. No, that had never been my intention in the first place. As soon as Sakura had told me that I would be accompanying them, a plan fell together. I knew that she would do everything in her power to keep me her prisoner until the day I died now that I knew her identity. And when I broke away from them, she would not set sail again until she was confident that both I and her secret were under control. She would send all people available to search for me, and this presented the opportunity to pluck the Hyuugas from them. Capturing Sakura would be a more difficult matter, but I would think through it at a later time. Rescuing the other two was my first priority.
The port was full of life and thick with a crowd of bodies that chattered loudly. We weaved our way through them, keeping our heads low, ignoring the pairs of eyes that trailed after us. Naurto kept one hand on the hilt of his sword at all times, tense, waiting, and peered over his shoulder every so often to make sure that I was still behind him and checking for any obvious suspicious behavior. He seemed almost disappointed when he spotted none, the corners of his lips turning down in a frown. I quirked a questioning brow, and he ignored it, turning abruptly to face forwards. Our boots scuffed along the road in unison, leaving marks in the dirt. "The Captain's waiting on us, so we'd better hurry." Naruto spoke over his shoulder, an attempt at starting conversation.
"Hn." I replied uninterestedly, looking aimlessly to the side. I immediately wished that I hadn't. I caught the eyes of a group of obnoxiously giggling girls, who were stumbling over themselves as they hesitantly made their ways towards me, covering their mouths with their hands and whispering amongst themselves. "He looked this way!" One shrieked, batting her eyelashes at me. The last thing I needed or wanted at the moment was to be interrupted by a horde of flirts.
This caught Naruto's attention, and he shot his head over towards them curiously. His face split into a grin. He slicked his hair back with his hand, and halted so suddenly that I nearly bumped into him, cupping a hand over his mouth and leaning in towards me. "You take one half and I'll take the other." He whispered, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. So much for not keeping the Captain waiting.
"No thanks." I muttered sourly. "You go right on ahead. I'm engaged, remember?"
At this his face fell, and he blinked with a realization. "Oh, right, Hinata!" He said, and suddenly he seemed so much less interested in the women who were slowly but surely approaching. I supposed that the rumors that had been circulating around the ship were true, and that there was some romantic involvement between he and my Fiancée. But I couldn't have cared less. What she did with whom before our marriage was no concern of mine, and if she felt she found some fulfillment in having an irrational fling, then by all means, she could fling away. The engagement was in no real danger. She was too sensible a woman to do anything to defy either her father or I. Not that I gave a damn.
"Excuse us, gentlemen." The spokesperson of the twittering clique spoke, snapping me out of my train of thought. The look that she was giving me unnerved me entirely — like she was trying to undress me with her beady little eyes, or the way that a starving man would stare at a feast. I suppressed a shudder. "You look to be a little lost. Could we point you in the right direction? Or, if not, I'm sure we could show you a good time." She fingered a button on my blouse. I could feel my nose crinkle in distaste.
"No thanks, ma'am." Naruto replied politely before I had a chance to speak in my own defense, flashing them a row of surprisingly straight, white teeth. "I know this port like the back of my hand. And I'm married, and he--" he jabbed his thumb in my direction. "Is the personal whore of a close friend of mine who is very possessive of him, and would be awfully upset if he was violated." Anger bubbled up inside of me, threatening to leak out in the form of vehement denials and vicious throttling of the blond first mate, but as not to cause a scene, I kept it inside, letting out nothing more than a sharp, controlled exhale. "Now, if you'd excuse us, we'd best be on our way. Come along, whore."
He grabbed me by the wrist and dragged me away from the disheartened women, who hung their heads and sighed. "Someone must have paid a hefty price for that one." I heard one say before he pulled me out of ear range, down a secluded alleyway. Once there he released his grip and let out a breezy laugh.
"I'd be much obliged if you didn't mention that bit to the Captain." He chuckled abashedly, pretending to be unaffected by my murderous glower. "You know how touchy she gets about that subject. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, after all. And trust me, in case you hadn't noticed already, mate, you do not want the Captain's fury unleashed on you." He patted me on the shoulder. My expression was unwavering.
"I'll kill you." I growled. "In your sleep."
He laughed nervously, brushing my threat off before continuing down the alleyway that ran along the back of a row of houses. I glared daggers into the back of his head for a little while longer before following reluctantly after him, making an effort to drag my feet along so he could hear my resent. When he didn't look over his shoulder once, I was satisfied that I had made my point, and stepped into stride with him. He sneaked a glance at my face, and his shoulders sagged in relief when he saw that I no longer looked ready to snap him in two over my knee.
He stopped in front the back door of a narrow, but tall brick house, and knocked his knuckles against it a couple times before stepping back and tapping his foot impatiently. I watched the door as it opened to reveal an unhappy looking Sakura, no longer sporting her hat. "There you two are! Took you bloody long enough." She snapped. "Well, get in here already. Wipe your boots on the mat. And Uchiha, if you don't behave yourself, I'll strap you to the underside of my ship. Have I made myself perfectly clear?"
"Crystal." I replied, meeting her eyes. She narrowed them in warning before turning on her heel and storming back the direction that she had came. I dragged the souls of my boots along the mat once thoroughly before following in after her, ignoring Naruto who remained behind, determined to remove every speck of dirt from his footwear before entering. I scrutinized the insides of the house carefully, admiring the paintings that hung in the hallway and letting myself sink into the ease of a familiar atmosphere.
I walked towards the murmur of voices down the hallway. "Denial doesn't become you, Sakura." An unfamiliar one said quietly before I stepped into the room and halted their conversation. My eyes fell upon the previous Captain's at the same time that hers fell upon me, and they locked together as we silently surveyed each other. There was an air of grace and sternness about her, but something mocking in her expression. Her amber orbs drifted down to my feet, and then back up to my face, lingering there as her lips curled and she unsuccessfully tried to hide her smile behind her tea cup. She glanced at Sakura, back at me, and then back at Sakura. "Oh. I see." She said finally, her tone raising a couple of pitches with mirth.
There was quite obviously some significance in this statement that I was unaware of, for Sakura slammed her cup down on her saucer with unnecessary force and jolted upright, letting out an indignant huff. "Him? Oh please, don't be ridiculous, Tsunade. Old age has made you senile. Spouting nonsense. Nonsense!" And she very well might have gone on, spluttering out things that made little sense to me, if Naruto had not intruded at that very moment and loudly announced his presence.
"Hey, you old hag!" He said, waving his arms around as what I supposed was some sort of greeting.
"Do you want me to snap your neck?" The woman replied coolly, sipping her tea. "Noisy child. Have a seat, the both of you. Don't just stand there looking clueless. Sakura, fetch them some cups and pour them some tea." Sakura stared at her, wide eyed and furious, before rising and stomping off haughtily, mumbling incoherent things under her breath as she went. I was unable to keep away a smirk, amused at seeing her ordered around by someone else. I watched her storm into the kitchen and search through the cupboards for matching tea cups, before my host addressed me. "Are you deaf, man? I said sit." I planted myself hastily on the chesterfield next to Naruto, who was picking at loose strings. "A name, please."
"Lieutenant Uchiha Sasuke, ma'am." I replied. Sakura returned, carrying two cups on saucers, and sloshed tea into both of them before shoving one into my hands and the other into Naruto's, who studied it as if it was something foreign that he hadn't the first idea what to do with, before taking a testing slurp.
Sakura seated herself. "Oh, sure. They get to sit on the nice clean furniture, now do they?"
Tsunade ignored her, not taking her eyes from me once. The taste of tea was something I was used to and welcomed, and I enjoyed it slowly, savoring, as she watched me drink. "Your story, Lieutenant?" She spoke my title with unmasked bitterness and clear disapproval. It was no surprise to me that her opinion of the military did not differ from Sakura's. Sakura was her creation — someone who had been molded by her ideals and beliefs. "And what happened to your hand?" She asked, staring at the bandaged palm that I kept in my lap.
Naruto was more than eager to speak on my behalf, and did so unasked, setting down his tea on a corner table and leaving it there, forgotten. "Well, you see, it all started when we got a tip off from Kakashi that the military had just finished building a vessel and had sent it out on its maiden voyage around where we were sailing. So we attacked and swung across so we could pilfer what we could, and that's when I met this guy. We started fighting, right? And he, it was just luck of course, was sort of kind of winning, so I pointed out that one of our men had found a girl aboard the ship and was carrying her across. It turned out that she was actually his Fiancée, so what does the nutter do? He charges right after us and swings onto our ship, alone, and demands that we give her back! I know!" He said in response to Tsunade's expression -- something between amazement and horror. "He's completely off of his rocker, this one!"
He continued to speak, uninterrupted. "And the Captain found him funny, so she makes him a bet. She said that if he could beat her in a fencing match, that she'd give him back his Fiancée, Hinata, and drop him off safety wherever he wanted to be dropped off, and if he could, she'd give him her hat! And do you know what he does? He makes fun of her hat. Pokes fun at it! So she says that he wouldn't even be able to knock it off of her head, and he accepts, and they start fighting. And only by luck, of course, he actually does knock off of her hat, and well, you know, once she's not wearing the hat, it's pretty obvious she's a woman. He must have been pretty surprised. I mean, god, you should have seen the look on his face! And while he's all shocked, I stepped in and tripped him, and he fell over backwards, and the Captain had him thrown below deck."
"Well, we were doing the usual, giving him his options. He could join us, starve below the deck, or walk the plank. And you know what he says? -- because just like I say, he's insane — he says he'll walk the plank! And, I mean, it's not the first time anybody chooses that option at first, I did too. But nobody actually goes through with it. He walked right off the end! Jumped into the water! And he doesn't have the first idea how to swim! So, of course, the Captain jumps right in after him. And then I had to jump in too, because she couldn't pull him out on her own. And the entire crew ended up having to help us lug his sorry ass out of the water. We were sure he was a goner, but the Captain brought him back alright. And then after he had woken up, she had him locked back in the brig to starve. And then he got awful sick and almost died, again! The Captain stayed by his bedside the entire night, nursing him back to health. And once he came back to his senses, she said she was sick and tired of saving him and he had no other options than to join the crew."
"So he finally agreed to earn his keep and started working in the kitchen with Lee. Well that was all fine and dandy for a while, but we hadn't counted on the crew of that last ship being picked up so quickly and coming after us. They must have been coming to rescue Hinata and him, see? And the Captain has him put back below the brig, again, so he couldn't get in our way and turn on us. Because he still hates us and tries to escape all the time. But Kakashi lets him go, because he was all upset he got to miss their last sword fight, and he starts running up along the deck and causing trouble for me. Somehow he managed to get a hold of another sword, and me and him start going at it again. And then I mentioned Hinata and pointed over his shoulder, because it seemed to work so well last time, and do you know what? He fell for it! Again! So I took the sword and dropped it in the water. But then I get attacked by all these other guys, and he runs off."
"Well turns out he was trying to find the Captain, why, I do not know. But she was fighting off a good five or six people at once, and getting pushed back. She took care of most of them, but then one sneaked around behind her, and it probably would have been nasty, but Sasuke reached in with his bare hand and grabbed the blade of his sword, stopping the blow. That's what happened to his hand. I keep telling you. He's crazy. So we won and ended up sinking their ship, too, but we ran out of canons and had to use potatoes. That's why we're here, to buy some more potatoes. And Sakura wanted to drop in and say 'Hi.' We had to bring him along because we didn't want to leave him alone to stir up trouble. He's high maintenance, he is." He inhaled and exhaled deeply. "Phew. What a mouthful."
Although I did not agree with some parts of Naruto's retelling, seeing as I was fairly certain that I was perfectly sane, I did not speak up. Neither did Sakura, who did little else besides scowl at the contents of her teacup. She was quite clearly looking back on the memories with disdain, and more than likely would have preferred to have not been reminded of them. "That is quite the story." Tsunade said finally, her expression indeterminable. What an understatement.
Naruto moved his eyes back and forth shiftily, before darting across the room over towards Tsunade sat and whispering in her ear. Sakura lifted her eyes to watch them, her stare suspicious and accusatory, and squinted as if trying to make out what they were saying. I pretended to pay no mind, but I too was trying to make sense of the hisses and whispers and determine that topic that Naruto felt could not be discussed out loud. I had a hunch... Ah, there it was. My shoulders stiffened. The unmistakable words: 'whore' and 'rape.'
"She tried to do what?" The woman finally exclaimed, drawing back and looking to Sakura, who turned red from the base of her neck to the tips of her ears, and then to me. "My god, Sakura!" Naruto snickered nervously, slinking further away from Sakura, who looked like a volcano ready to erupt, and into a corner. "The extremes a woman in love will go to."
That word caused Naruto to blanch with confusion, and Sakura to blab unintelligible things, turning even more red than before, if that was even possible. "What? Whose in love?" Naruto asked, blinking his wide, perplexed eyes.
"Why, Sakura is, of course. Hadn't you noticed? She practically walks as if she's floating on a cloud." Tsunade replied.
"Actually, it seems more to me like she tromps around like an angry elephant." Naruto said, scratching his chin thoughtfully. Sakura continued to babble and stutter, making out nothing of sense, furious, but nobody paid her much mind. Tsunade's eyes caught mine, and they twinkled mischievously, as if she was trying to hint me something that I hadn't gotten.
"Same thing, for her." Tsunade said.
Why, she must have been implying that... Sakura was actually in love with that obnoxious abnormality, Rock Lee! How preposterous. She was above him in every way imaginable. She was completely and entirely out of his league. And to suggest that someone with class and taste like her was in love with a disgrace like him was nonsensical. But still, there was undeniable evidence. The way she fawned over him was sickening, like she actually tolerated his peculiar behavior, like she actually enjoyed it. Not that I cared. No, I didn't care the least who she infatuated herself with. Yes, I'd love to remove his hideous eyebrows in the most painful way possible, shave off his melon-shaped haircut, skin him alive, cook him, and then she what she found so very wonderful about him — but that was for a purely unrelated reason, I'm sure.
"That's quite enough!" Sakura finally snapped, rising to her feet. "It's been a nice visit, Tsunade, but I'm afraid we must be on our way. Other business to attend to, you'll understand. I hope to be seeing you again soon. We can show ourselves out, thank you very much." She turned briskly and strutted towards the doorway. I assumed this meant we were supposed to follow her.
Sakura. In love with HIM!
I knew that it was now or never. I was growing short on time and opportunities, and I would have to make my escape soon, or else I would never be free. They had not seemed to notice my sudden anxiety, the way my muscles tensed and I looking around nervously. The market that we stood in was the perfect place to run, where they could be slowed by the sea of bodies, but my timing would need to be perfect if I intended to pull this off flawlessly. It was trying my patience, but I had to wait. "How many potatoes do you have in stock right now, sir?"
The vendor looked confused and twirled his mustache with his fingers. "I don't know. Hundreds." He said with an uncomfortable shrug. He had not torn his eyes away from Sakura's hat since we had turned down this street. We were attracting quite a deal of attention with her flaunting that hat, and this posed a bit of a problem. I had to wait until they wouldn't notice me slip away. Not her, not him, and not anybody else on the street. "Why?"
"Perfect." She said, slamming down a velvet pouch on the counter. Gold pieces spilled out of the top of the bag. "We'll take the lot." The merchant's eyes glistened greedily, and his fingers twitched towards the gold coins. He picked one up and examined it closely. She tossed him another bag. "And that is for you if you will find us some men to load them onto my ship."
Perfect. She was too busy waiting for the outcome of her proposition, her eyes fixed on the man in front of her, and Naruto was too busy eying the gold pieces and licking his chapped lips, and I was left forgotten at their side. I stepped aside slowly, a few movements at a time, so they would not notice a sudden jolt, and then sprinted down the street in the opposite direction. I did not look behind me. I ran, and I ran, as fast as my legs would carry me, pushing through the crowds of befuddled people, ignoring the angry cry that sounded from Sakura. "After him!" She shrieked. "Don't let him get away! For gods sake, Naruto, don't let him get away! He knows my name!"
I could feel the desperate tap of their feet as they chased after me, and my heart pounded in apprehension. Fear flitted through me like a caged bird and my legs ached to go faster, past my body's limit. This was my only chance. Screw this up, and I was surely fated to a life of a prisoner. If I could only get to the end of the street. At the end of the street there were numerous turnoffs, and they would never be able to know which way I had gone. I had too much of a head start. "Stop!" I could hear her cry. "Come back!"
As if. She could live her merry little life without me — marry that freak for all I cared, and have lots of little hideous pirate children.
Suddenly, there was a cast iron pan outstretched in front of my face.
I ran into it.
And then there was darkness.
U n d e r T h e B r a v e B l a c k F l a g I F l y
Chapter nine.
Chapter nine!
CHAPTER NINE!
Do you know what that means? I'm only ONE away from breaking ten. And then I will be setting a new record for myself! I have never made it past the first ten chapters of a story! Are you guys proud of me? Huh? Are yah? Are yah?
I hope that none of you are still sour from my little joke. I thought it was funny. I've started a death threat collection! XD
So, sorry for taking an eternity to update. I've been very busy lately. And there was little boys in my downstairs and I couldn't write, otherwise I probably would have been able to update sooner. Yes, I require an entire floor to myself to write. Is what I said. Got a problem with that? But I've got two words for you that will (hopefully) cause for celebration: SPRING. BREAK. And, provided that I don't loose that writers diarrhea that I feel coming on, I'll be able to update frequently this week.
Sasuke is stoopid. And Naruto is a chatterbox. Holy cow. And Sakura is in denial! De Nile! In Africa! I hope she knows how to swim. Tsunade is perceptive. Uh-huh. Sasuke got hit in the head with a pan! I've always wanted to hit Sasuke in the head with a pan...
So, um, whoever can guess who hit Sasuke over the head with a frying pan will get chapter ten dedicated to them! (Because there's little else I can do besides that.) Sound good?
Btw, I'm not updating until a reach a certain amount of reviews. But this time I'm going to be REALLY evil, and not tell you what that certain amount of reviews is going to be! BWAHAHAHAA. Review away, my pretties! Review away...!
And send in those suggestions for who hit Sasuke over the head with a frying pan! First one to get it wins!