Y o H o

by T a C o C a T

When the pirates whisked her away, Lieutenant Uchiha Sasuke charged valiantly after his fiancee only to find himself defeated by and prisoner to Haruno Sakura. Now he must choose: Submit, obey, and join or W a l k T h e P l a n k. SASuSAKu NARuHiNA Au

10. Calm Before The Storm

A n d T h o u S h a l t R e i g n Q u e e n
A n d T h y E m p i r e S h a l l L a s t

"Oh, thank you... Thank you so much, sir. I can never begin to express how much..." She was out of breath, panting, clutching her chest in one hand and her hat to her head in the other. It had nearly been blown off at the desperate speed she had been running at while she chased after Sasuke, who now lay in a heap on the ground, a rivulet of blood running from his hairline. Her heart still pounded loudly in her chest and her fingers trembled. The frenzied state of panic her mind was in was slowly starting to wash away, replaced by unconditional relief. He had nearly escaped. He would have, if it had not been for the kindly intervening stranger.

His slanted eyes were closed and his thin lips turned up in a smile that looked far from heart-felt. In one hand he held a paint brush, in the other the pan that had dealt the blow, speckled with blood, which he had apparently borrowed from a neighboring blacksmith, who was demanding its return. He passed it loftily into their hands without so much as looking at them. "No, it wasn't much of a big deal. It seemed that I caused more damage than help, however. Is he quite alright? I thought he was a thief, you see. We get a fair bit of those around here."

"He's breathing — he's fine." Sakura said, nudging his motionless body with the toe of her boot. He didn't stir. One by one, the curious onlookers turned their heads away and focused on other business, losing interest in the event and leaving it to be dealt with by those it concerned. "Yes, he is a thief. Or something of a similar sorts. Naruto, would you be so kind as to pick him up? He's stopping the flow of traffic. I guess I can't call him good-for-nothing any longer. He makes a decent road block." Naruto swooped down and pulled Sasuke's limp arm over his shoulder, supporting his weight. He cursed under his breath and swayed before finding his footing again.

The man chuckled lightly. "Might I have the name of my savior?" Sakura asked, looking over her shoulder and sending a bitter glare at Sasuke, regardless of the fact he wasn't conscious to receive it. He just had to try to run, didn't he? Run and nearly spoil everything she had been working so hard towards. It was a good thing that this man was here to stop him, too, for she dreaded to think of the consequences if he had actually managed to escape. Coincidence was on her side this time. Because Sakura never really had been one to believe in fate. "And if there is anything I could do for you at all, please, just name it..."

"Sai." He replied, opening his eyelids and revealing the flat, black orbs that were hidden behind them. "Just Sai. No surname. And I believe that yes, there is something you can do for me — Captain..."

C h a p t e r X

Calm Before The Storm

Needless to say, I woke up with an impressive headache. I ventured to open my eyes, but pinched them shut tightly together immediately afterwards, drawing back into the pillow beneath my head and trying to fight the flash of blaring light off of the back of my eyelids. I lay perfectly still until the throbbing in my head had subsided some, and then let out a low, agonized groan. Not only because of the unbearably sharp sting that ran from one temple to the other, but because I realized that I was back on the boat.

"Well that's what you get for trying to run away." I didn't need to open my eyes to know the person whose voice that belonged to. I would know that arrogant tone anywhere. "After all I've done for you. You've got what you deserved, you ingrate, and I don't feel the slightest pity for you. After all I've done for you, you still try to run away. You're a hopeless case, and every day I get closer to killing you myself every day, for all the trouble you're worth." Her less-than-dulcet voice did little to ease my splitting headache.

I interrupted her rant with a rude scoff. "All you've done for me? Oh, you imprisoned and enslaved me, and have, as a matter of fact, nearly killed me several times already. How grand of you." I peeked one eye open carefully, letting it adjust to the light, and then the other. I was lying in my cot, and she had pulled a chair beside it and sat on its edge in an unladylike manner, her knees agape, elbows propped up on them. Instead of looking as furious as I had expected her to look after my comments, she seemed merely annoyed, and shook her head back and forth.

"I am not in the mood to deal with you right now, Sasuke." She said. And there was something in the way she said it that I took offense to, as if she were hinting that I was not worth her time — as if she were too superior — and it irked me. But try as I might, I could not come up with a reasonably intelligent sounding response. Anything that I could say at this point in time would sound infantile. She heaved herself up and made for the door, acting uncharacteristically calm, and left her quarters without paying any mind to the glower I sent her.

I sat upright with difficulty and cautiously examined my forehead with my fingers, feeling along the tightly wrapped bandages and wincing when they passed over where the frying pan had connected with my head. Sakura had more than likely been the one to dress my wounds, as per usual, and that too, bothered me. I didn't want to feel gratitude towards her. I was in a bitter mood, (which could probably be credited to my lack of success in my attempted escape,) and was more than perfectly content to direct all of that into resentful feelings towards Sakura, who seemed to be the pinpoint of all my troubles. I sighed loudly and spun my legs around and off the bed, and stood up, using the side of the mattress for support.

After rummaging around for a fresh set of clothing and doing my best to finger-comb through my matted hair, I set out onto the deck and scanned over the bodies that were scurrying across it, searching for anything of interest and something to keep myself busy with, seeing as I was no longer permitted to work in the kitchen with the condition of my hand, which was beginning to sting a little less, but was still very tender. We were still anchored and had not left the port, and nearly the entirety of the crew was caught up in loading crates of potatoes below the deck and into storage.

The few of whom were not involved were Ino, Tenten, and Hinata — who I spotted sitting off to the helm. Ino was picking the dirt out from under her fingernails while she pretended to listen to Tenten, nodding and 'uh-huh'-ing occasionally when called for, while Tenten babbled on incessantly, her gaze focused on and never leaving one of the men hauling potatoes; I couldn't tell which. Hinata stood with them and stared at the toes of her shoes which barely peeked out of the skirt of her dress, which had already become tattered and dirty, contributing to the conversation in quiet, short mumbles. Seeing as I saw nothing better to do at the time, I started towards them.

It was Ino who noticed my approaching them first. She looked up and her face split into a flirtatious smile. She batted her eyelashes. "Oh, Lieutenant!" She exclaimed, catching the attention of the other two. Hinata's head shot upwards, and Tenten only met my eyes briefly before directing her stare back to where it had been beforehand. "I see you're finally awake. You've had quite a nasty hit, from what I've heard. Are you feeling alright now?"

I could feel the heat rush to my cheeks. I was well aware that news spread quickly around the ship, and there was nothing secret and nothing sacred, but it did little to take away from the humiliation. I quickly turned my head away in hopes that it would hide the flush in my face. It did not go unnoticed by Ino, who giggled and twisted her ponytail around her fingers. She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Tenten, who still had yet to peel her eyes aware for more than a second from whoever it was she was watching so intently. "Ah..." She sighed lightheartedly. "Look, you can see his muscles rippling under his shirt..."

I was curious as to who, but not curious enough to voice it to her. But there was no need in the first place, because Ino answered for me. "I'm sure Hinata doesn't appreciate you speaking of her cousin like a piece of meat." Hinata reddened and fiddled with her fingers nervously, her lips pursing together. Ino squealed. "Oh, Hinata! You're just the most darling thing! Lieutenant Uchiha is a lucky man, aren't you?"

I didn't respond. "But you may be up for a little healthy competition, Lieutenant." Ino continued. "Because perhaps its the first mate who is the really lucky one...?"

Hinata let out a gasp and looked to me instinctively to observe my response, her off-white eyes widening in horror and her face paling several shades. My hand closed into a fist, but I made no noticeable indication that I was affected by Ino's comment. "That does not concern me." I said stiffly. "Nor does it concern you, for that matter. If I felt that he posed any serious threat to our relationship, I would deal with it." My Fiancée's shoulders sagged in relief, but even so, she could no longer bring herself to meet my eye. I could feel the atmosphere grow a bit awkward, with the exception of Tenten, who continued to gawk at Neji shamelessly, and made for a quick topic change. "Where is Sa-- The Captain?" I corrected myself.

"Hmmmm?" Ino grinned mischievously. I sent her a warning glance, and could almost see the suggestive comment that she nearly made about the Captain and I swallowed back down her throat. She looked disappointed. "Well you see, about that — It's a little odd, actually. Suspicious. The gentleman who was kind enough to smack you upside the head with a frying pan--" She unsuccessfully tried to say that part with a straight face. I glared. "Recognized the Captain and told her that he wanted to become a part of the crew. Well, she thought it was strange, too, but she couldn't very well let him roam around the port letting everybody know who she was, she she agreed to take him aboard for the time being to discuss, and nothing more. She's chatting with him in the kitchen as we speak."

My brows drew together as I thought the story over. So whoever it was had recognized Sakura as Captain Hokage and stopped me (I decided that I didn't like him,) and then volunteered to join her? That was odd, indeed. It was possible that he shared similar ideals to her, but unlikely. Before I had been taken prisoner on the ship I had known little about Captain Hokage myself — in fact, I had thought it nothing more than a fable. The Captain had always been a mystery to outsiders. No ordinary person who know of her, or in their case, what they probably still thought was his, existence, let alone beliefs and traditions.

I thanked Ino for her information and bid the three of them a good day before venturing towards the kitchen. I weaved through the assembly line of crate-carrying bodies and jumped down the few stairs leading into the kitchen. The more time I spent on a ship, the easier it was becoming to move around on it. The nausea was starting to vanish completely. I controlled my landing as much as possible, but my headache still screamed in protest. I took a moment or two to steady myself.

The first person to come into my sight was Lee, who was coincidentally the first person whose sight I came into. His face crumpled up into an ugly expression, his lips puckered together like he had eaten something too sour and his wild, bushy eyebrows scrunched up and drawn together. "Already up and about, Lieutenant Uchiha?" He spat. "I take it you're feeling better?"

"Not really." I replied truthfully. It was really my pride that was hurt, more than anything. Lee set a wooden spoon down on the counter, a little too forcefully.

"You deserve it." He said. "After all the generous Captain has done for you..." I winced internally. The last thing I was in a mood for was another lecture. He kept his back turned to me, his shoulders tense. "You still try to run away and betray her trust! You are undeserving of the fair Captain's heart! I will never lose to you, traitorous fiend!" He whirred around and pointed the wooden spoon at my face. A bit of spittle flew from the corner of his mouth. I was unimpressed.

"Where is the Captain?" I asked. "I heard she was down here." He was obviously put off by my unwillingness to cooperate and accept his challenge with equal enthusiasm, and returned to the dishes he was washing, plunging the spoon into the soapy sink, and gesturing to the back with his thumb. I nodded and went the way he had pointed.

Sakura was seated at a small table across from a unnaturally pale, well dressed, dark-haired man — an untouched glass of wine in front of either of them. She had her hands folded on the table, motionless. Her back was facing me, but I could tell by the way she carried herself that her expression was stern. The pale man looked up and smiled at me. There was something unnerving about his smile that made my gut twist uncomfortably — that instinctively told me he was untrustworthy. "Ah, from earlier--" He began.

"Oh, yes. You're the one who I have to kill later." I growled, narrowing my eyes. His false expression was unwavering. Sakura's head snapped over her shoulder, and upon seeing me, she let out a low, irritated hiss.

"Did I say you could be out of bed yet?" She demanded. "Maybe I should have locked you back up in the brig after what you did, just to spite you. In case you hadn't noticed, we're in the middle of a conversation. Leave." I stood my ground. She waited, her eyes boring into mine, revealing nothing but the fact that she was deadly serious. Regardless, I did not relent. I did not move. She pushed her chair back and was half standing up when the man raised a hand a gestured for her to stop.

"Please," He said. "We were almost finished anyway, Captain. No need for trouble." She huffed indignantly to voice her displeasure, but complied to his request and reseated herself. "In fact, I believe that all I need is your approval of my bargain, and we can be finished here." I sent a confused look from Sakura to the pale man, and then back to Sakura.

"Fine." She snapped. "You can have Sasuke's job, seeing as he's rendered himself too useless to do it right now." I opened my mouth to inquire as to what was going on, but Sakura was already on her feet and storming out of the kitchen, brushing past me roughly. "If you've got any questions, ask Sasuke or track down my first mate, Naruto." She finished, pausing in doorway before climbing up the stairs and above the deck. I hesitated a moment before chasing after her, and the man followed right behind me, keeping a few paces distance between us. I paid him no attention.

By the time I had surfaced above deck, Sakura was already half-way to the Captain's quarters, walking as fast as humanly possible. It might have been that she was in a hurry to find someone, but I couldn't help but feel that it was in an attempt to avoid me at all costs — she was obviously angry with me, which was pretty routine most of the time, as we were hardly ever in good terms with one another — but it seemed that today she was especially mad. Her effort to steer clear of me would be in vain. I wanted to be informed about the dark haired person who still trailed after me, slowly getting closer. I wanted to know who he was and what he wanted, and I wanted to hear it from her and no one else.

"Hey!" I called after her loudly, gaining the attention of every person on the deck, including her. She span, furious, and sucked in a deep breath that would more than likely be used to yell at me — but before she had the chance, the man reached forwards and grabbed onto my shoulder, halting me. I half-turned towards him and tried to brush off his grasp, letting out an annoyed grunt. "Can I help you?" I demanded.

He did not reply, but instead merely removed his hand from my shoulder and took off the black glove that sheathed it, one finger at a time, and struck me across the face with it.

I struggled to keep my breathing steady, as it was starting to grow shaky after the rage had a while to simmer in my system. "Someone get me a sword." I managed to force out through gritted teeth in sharp, controlled syllables. Even though I hadn't spoken very loudly, it was enough for the entire crew to hear me. They had fallen as silent as the grave as soon as his glove had made contact with my face, and were watching the scene unfold with the utmost interest. Sakura no longer looked ready to kill, I noted, but rather immensely amused — another reason that I was determined to show this stranger the mistake he had made in crossing me once and the defeat he would face in crossing me twice.

Someone must have gotten the idea that I was in no joking mood, for they started to scurry about in search of the nearest weapon. "Don't anybody give him a sword!" Sakura called, and they froze in their places. "Unless you want to be the one to try to get it back from him afterwards." Her eyes were fixed on me, waiting to see what I would do, how I would react. She was sadistic. She loved to make everything more difficult for me than it had to be.

"Fine." I said coolly as I looked away from her and into the passive face of my opponent. "Someone get me a stick. Anything!" I was met by hushed chuckles and uncertain faces. Somewhere, somebody called and asked if I was serious.

"Humor him." Sakura replied for me, a grin breaking through her features. "Come on, now, let him defend whatever shred of dignity he has deluded himself into believing that he has left. Somebody fetch him a good stick!" She laughed loudly and met my glare with mirthful olive eyes that seemed much too gentle to suit her personality. "And get our newest crew member a sword while you're at it. Where's Naruto gone off to? Useless piece of..." She trailed off, mumbling to herself.

They met her requests with haste, and it was not until I had been passed the stick I had asked for that I realized another factor I had not taken into consideration that put me at a serious disadvantage — I had injured my good hand interfering with the swipe that Neji had tried to take at Sakura. Nevertheless, there was no way that I could step down now. I weighed it in my right hand before deciding that it was useless, even if I could bear with the pain my precision would be too off. I switched it into the left. Sakura laughed louder, and my opponent quirked a brow.

I slipped into ready position and he mimicked me. He lunged first, too carelessly and too unguarded, and with a quick swipe at the base of his sword I had him knocked off balance. After that, it was easy enough to start pushing him — he was leaving too many openings and closing them too clumsily. It wasn't that he had poor swordsmanship, but it was only average. He scowled, possibly the first time that I had seen a genuine expression on his face. Drops of perspiration were already forming on his forehead.

Another few jabs and a finishing blow that I brought down on his wrist, gently enough not to do any permanent damage, and his sword was flying out of his hand. Awed whispers swept through the audience. If he had felt any shame in being beaten by me, using my unfavored hand and a stick, he showed none of it in his face. Instead his false, unsettling smile had been returned to his features. "You truly are as impressive as they say you are..." He said. My curiosity was immediately peaked, but before I had the chance to ask him what he had meant by it, my attention was drawn away by the approaching of the Captain as she unsheathed the sword that hung from her belt.

She knocked it against my makeshift weapon in challenge. My jaw clenched.

As difficult as it was to step away from a fight, especially one offered by her — there was no way that I could match someone of her level under my circumstances, and she knew that. What she was trying to prove in doing this was beyond me, but whatever it was, she had achieved it. Refusing to meet her eyes, afraid of what I'd find there, I tossed down the temporary replacement for my sword and backed away.

I retreated to the Captain's quarters to escape the aftermath and was suddenly overcome by exhaustion that had not been there only minutes earlier, and succumbed to the desire to sleep. The last two thoughts that my mind entertained before I lost myself to unconsciousness were mental notes to remember that the imposing stranger on the ship was untrustworthy and hiding something, and to restart the search for my sword.

T i l l T h e B l a c k F l a g B y I n c h e s
I s T o r n F r o m T h e M a s t

... Okay, so I haven't updated in... forever. But at least I forced another chapter out, instead of giving up the idea entirely and scrapping all my stories. It took like.. three months for the writers block to pass, but now its gone, and I've got something to show for it. Even though its short and late, I hope it will do!

I MADE IT TO CHAPTER TEEEEN! -throws confetti in all of your faces- This is cerious cause for celebration, mates. I'm telling you. I have never made it to chapter ten of a story, ever. So I'm feeling pretty proud of myself right now.

And, as promised, I'll dedicate the chapter to the person who guessed who hit Sasuke in the head with a frying pan, even though it was after severe hinting and many, many guesses (I give this person kudos for being so very persistent) : kt.1z.awesome. CONGRATS, KT! It may be somewhat of a lame prize... But it was a lame competition in the first place.

I can't gaurantee when the next update will be, but it will hopefully take less time to get out than this one did. Hopefully. Just keep reviewing, please! It will definitely help the process along! Thank you for all of those who have stuck with me so far!