I would like to thank all the reviews I got from the last chapters.
First of all, thank you for your encouragement. Quite frankly, I thought the story sucked when I reread it again but I'll try to do better. For naru-sasu, I don't think they allow any of that contentof that kind (lemon scenes) but if you want it I can send you the scenes (if I ever go there, I hoppe I do). You know where to contact me.
To Midi: I don't know why the males are being chauvenist pigs...I guess they just are during that time. I know what you mean about not being delicate...I'm scared shitless when it comes to my sister. Almost flawless! Hahaha...you remind me of my teacher (which is not a bad thing because I like my teacher; not in a sexual way of course). The thing is, I did all of that on purpose. I'm in a rebellious mode. Was it that obvious. Hmmm...should work on that!
If you don't mind me asking, are you by any chance a girl?
Sorry for blabbing: read on!
7
Recovering himself, Kyu turned to close the door (and thank god he had the brains to lock it) while Sasuke grabbed Naruto's clothes to cover his nude body.
"You're a boy!" Kyu repeated breathlessly, sounding half scandalized, half delighted.
"Thank you for stating the obvious," Sasuke muttered. Then he sighed, finally accepting the fact that Naruto would throttle him to death. Sasuke had made it clear that he doesn't want to befriend Kyu, why would the other boy protect him now?
Kyu sank on a chair and ran his hand through his hair in an unconscious imitation of his adored brother.
"Well, I must say: I'm shocked," he said after a long awkward silence. "Whatever could Naruto has been thinking of to bring a boy disguised as a girl onboard. I always knew he was a closet pervert. Maybe he found pretty boys dressed as a girl to be a turn-on. I've a few well-chosen words to tell that brother of mine. To think he was fooling us with the 'I hate you' act."
"No, please!" Sasuke thrust out an entreating hand. God, someone must have left the door to hell open because it was getting hot enough to defrost icy barrier.
"Now, Sasuki…" Kyu clucked like a maiden aunt. "Even you must admit that this arrangement is scandalous, Sasuki-chan. Is that even your name?"
It's Sasuke. And it's not an arrangement," He bit his lips, uncertain whether to confide in the other boy or not. "What I meant is that Naruto doesn't know – that I'm a boy."
"Come now, Sasuki…I mean Sasuke. The game is already up…"
"I'm not kidding, damn it! He doesn't know!1"
Kyu gaped at him, amazed. "So you're saying that he think that you're a girl?"
"You weren't any different before now," Sasuke sighed. "He sees what he expects to see. Plus I think that incident enforced the idea the more."
"What incident?" Kyu asked, curious.
Sasuke's face burned red. "I-I was pinned by someone…and now he thinks that I'm some damsel in distress."
"But now you could tell Naruto the truth."
"And get kill in the process? I don't think so," Sasuke said dryly.
"Naruto isn't like that," Kyu defended his brother. "Sure he's arrogant and a little bit of a control freak, but he's actually nice."
Isn't he? I mean he enslaved me when he thought I was a girl. What do you think he'll do when he finds out that I was a boy all along? He'll probably think that I deliberately made a fool out of him."
"But – "
"But nothing. This is the truth he's seeing."
"How's that?"
"Since I was a babe in the arms this had been the truth to me," He indicated the girlish garb in the basin. "I've always been Fujiwara Itachi's little sister."
"Why?" One of Kyu's brows cocked upward.
"My brother said that only one male heir could succeed the leadership in every generation of the Fujiwaras. The latter male child would be killed to avoid future power struggle." Sasuke said, devoid of any emotions. "My brother persuaded my father and the midwife to keep quite about my gender. He threatened to commit suicide if anything should befell on me."
"But now all that's changed," he pointed out. "Now you've no need for your disguise. Naruto must be told."
Sasuke shot to his feet. "NO! You can't! Please!"
"Sasuke," Kyu said with exaggerated patience. "You don't seem to comprehend the position you're in. TO go on with his charade is outrageous. What would people say when they find out the same way as I did?"
"That's easy," Sasuke smirked. "I'll just kill them and be done with it."
Kyu's mouth dropped, his eyes bugged out.
Sasuke laughed out loud. "I was only kidding. I'll be more careful. People would never know. Yes, they won't know a thing. Especially Naruto."
"Do you hate Naruto, Sasuke? I know he's been a pain in the ass ever since you came on board."
"No, I don't hate him. I only wish I did." There was wistfulness in Sasuke's tone.
"Do you love him then? How romantic!" Kyu's eyes twinkled with delighted surprise.
"You're freaky. Here, you know that I'm a boy and you're delighted over the prospect whether I love your brother or not."
Kyu shrugged. "Love knows no bound."
"Now you're a poet?" Sasuke scoffed. "And I never said I love your brother."
"You don't have to. Perhaps if Naruto know the truth, he'd love you in return."
"Not bloody likely!" Sasuke said bitterly.
"How would you know that?" Kyu demanded, annoyed at Sasuke's lack of romantic imagination.
"Because of her –" He jerked his head toward the picture on the desk. "– Haruno Sakura."
"Sakura!" Kyu hissed, his voice filled with malevolence and hate.
Sasuke sighed. "Naruto has told me a lot about her. He says she's everything a woman should be."
"She's everything a slut should be!"
"What's the matter?" Sasuke said, confused at the virulence in Kyu's tone and the hatred plainly etched on his usually serene face. "I thought her father is a master of a great plantation."
"Oh, yes. If it takes only to have a rich father to be a lady, then Sakura is certainly a lady. She uses her so-called beauty and her father's wealth to captivate every man she sees. Then she plays one off against another."
"The way she does with Naruto and Hyuuga Neji?"
Kyu dropped his head to hide the hurt etched on his face. "Yes. Exactly so. She's so certain she could have either of them with the merest flick of a finger."
"Could she?"
"Probably. Grown ups are so stupid." Kyu caught his breath. "I have no idea whether they pretended to be dumb or they developed a serious case of severe brain damage when they turn twenty."
"Well, then, if you hate her so much, you should hope she flicks her finger in Hyuuga Neji's direction."
The tears that welled in Kyu's eyes bewildered Sasuke until he realized what it was he had said…
Then it dawned.
"Kyu. Do you like Hyuuga Neji?"
"Yes," he whispered and raised an entreating eyes to Sasuke. "You won't tell Naruto, will you? He'd only laugh at me."
"Why?"
"Because Neji thinks of me as a child. He always treat me like a mere brother." He laughed hollowly. "Besides, he's straight."
Sasuke felt awkward. Affairs of the heart were beyond his expertise. After all he was always uncaring for a great deal of his life except when it involved his brother.
"But if you…" he began.
"Kyu?" It was Naruto. "Kyu!"
Sasuke and Kyu tensed, exchanging an apprehensive glance.
"You won't tell him, will you?" Sasuke pleaded, nearly frantic. "Say you won't!"
"You can't hide it forever, you know,"
Kyu pointed out. "I don't know how you've been hiding it for so long. Now that I really look at you…" He shook his head. "Man! We are so blind not to see through you."
"Please Kyu! Only until we get to Konoha, I'll go away. Naruto doesn't have to know. Please!"
Before Kyu could answer the cabin door open and Naruto appeared. His eyes traveled from his brother to the girl he had taken away from Hell's Peak. Naruto noticed his clothe on Naruto's shirt, it was a bit loose due to Sasuke's small size. Sasuke was the perfect picture of someone after a rigorous…interlude.
"Kyu!" Naruto's voice dripped with icy disapproval. "What are you doing here? Where's Haku?"
"He's probably attending to a task in the kitchen." Kyu answered timidly. "For dinner."
"Well, you shouldn't be behind closed doors with a girl unchaperoned. People would have found it compromising."
For one horrifying moment it seemed as if Kyu were about to burst out laughing. But one look at Sasuke's panic- stricken eyes and he managed to restrain himself.
"Oh, aniki," Kyu said pushing himself to his feet. "Do be serious. Sasuke – I mean Sasuki-chan couldn't possibly do me any harm."
Kyu, please, be careful, Sasuke pleaded silently.
"For one minute, I could possibly say that you're more of a worrier than Iruka-sensei." Kyu flounced away toward his own cabin.
Naruto turned his attention back to Sasuke. Not for the first time, he noticed how skinny and flat-chested the girl was suppose to be. But that didn't stop Sasuke from being any more enticing. With his shirt on, Naruto found himself thinking how long and creamy Sasuke's throat was above the gaping collar, and of how delicate and small his wrist and hands were as they stuck out of the ends of the sleeves. He found himself annoyingly charmed by the sight of his charged wrapped in one of his too big shirts.
Tensing, he brought himself back to reality; away from the bewildering and irksome emotions that had returned to plague him.
"I know what you're trying to do with my brother," he snarled, thrusting opened the door. "Keep your distance from my brother or I'll keel-haul you off the boat. Go to the kitchen and help Haku prepare supper instead of whoring around."
Before Sasuke could even began to think of a nice come back, Naruto was gone.
"Why that no good son of a bi…Kitchen…hmm…"
Sasuke walked out with lips curving into a smirk and ambled toward the kitchen, his brain already formulating a revenge plot to get even with Naruto. Along the way he fingered the wooden hull as he chuckled evilly creating echoes in the companionway and sending chills down the spines of those who had heard his wicked laugh.
When he saw the sight that greeted him as he entered the kitchen, he automatically felt that he had some of his job cut up for him.
The kitchen was in shambles. Feathers were everywhere; Iruka was chasing a live chicken around the room. Haku was trying to subdue a raging fire from burning stove. It was utter pandemonium.
"Great! Just what I need: more work," Sasuke thought unhappily.
He walked toward Haku, trying not to step on anything that resembled burned carcasses on the floor.
"Umm…Haku-chan. Naruto sent me to help you cook." He said to the elder man. "And from the looks of it he needed an army to help you," he added silently.
Haku took hold Sasuke on the shoulder, startling the young boy. "Do you know how to cook?" Haku asked, his eyes pleading to get a 'yes' for an answer.
"Yes. Dou you know how to cook?" Iruka spun him around, joining in Haku's cause. His expression was practically screaming, "Say yes! Please say yes!"
"Y-yes," Sasuke answered, afraid of the glimmering madness and desperation in both their eyes.
"Thank the lord in heaven!" Iruka raised his head heavenward.
"Why didn't you tell us when the cook got sick?" Haku shook the boy.
"Uhm…because nobody had bothered to ask and…" he replied. "…I enjoyed your cooking?"
"Since you like it, I guess we can let you off the hook this time." Iruka said as he straightened up. "Well, enjoy cooking."
Both men then left a bewildered Sasuke to manage the kitchen. On their mind they were thinking of the exact same thing: "If the food's as bad as ours at least Sasuki'll get the blame!"
Everyone was gathered around the long dining table except for Naruto and the watchman. Dinner was a success; everybody enjoyed the food. Granted, they were hesitant at first but after Kyu and Sasuke kept taking helpings, the others joined in.
"Hmmmm…this is great!" said one of the crewmen.
"Yes. Splendid." Said another.
"I don't know what happened but somehow you two had turned into iron chefs in an overnight." Kyu complimented both Haku and Iruka. "You cook much better than Shino."
"Well, it isn't exactly…offph!" Iruka cried in pain as Haku nudged him in the ribs and Sasuke kicked him in the shins.
"Don't be modest," Sasuke gritted out.
"Yes, thank you," Haku said, apparently liking the attention. "This is nothing. Last dinner was a mistake on our part. We were rusty with our cooking skills. Hohohoho…"
Just then Naruto appeared and he inhaled deeply. "Something smells good. Does this mean that Shino is getting better?"
"No, Haku and Iruka cooked everything!"
"Really?" Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Not bad!"
Naruto sat on his seat; his meal was already prepared.
"Hehehehe…this is going to be fun." Sasuke whispered to Kyu.
Naruto took his spoon and sipped his soup.
"How so?" asked the blonde boy beside him.
"Just watch and get ready to laugh."
Naruto took another sip, then another and another. Everyone watched, awaiting the verdict.
"Not bad…" he said, aware of the eyes on him.
On his sixth spoonful his hands suddenly jerked toward his neck, his face red.
"Hot!" he choked. Then his hands flew to the nearest pitcher and started to gargle down the water.
Kyu and Sasuke fell on the ground laughing gleefully. Everyone else was torn between horror at the captain's impending wrath and pleasure at seeing the two adorable teens on the floor, cackling like mad.
Iruka and Haku paled as Naruto finished gurgling down the whole content of the pitcher.
"It was Sasuki-chan who cooked the meal!" they both pointed at Sasuke.
Sasuke's laughter died abruptly. "Holy…!" he mumbled as he felt a cold towering figure behind him.
MUST READ:
Sorry to blab off again! But this is important or at least inportant on my part. I hope you like what you read because I certainly didn't...I think you'll notice the change in my structure after the kitchen...well, it's because I was in a whacky mood plus I was reading another fic by a fellow colleague and I think I sorta copied the style...subconsciously. Then I realised the change when I re read it. Please don't hate me for it... I'll try not to do it again. And I'm not going to reveal whose work I mimicked either in case he's/she's temperamental.
Next on Pirate Prince of Konoha:
I always wanted to do that...It gives me some satisfaction knowing that I had the continuation...anyhoo, in the next chapter we'll get to see a different side of Sasuke...in male clothings...plus a little bit of some 'HOT' action. Okay, mild but 'warm' action. I don't want to be kicked out of the net.
"Too…tight!"
Before Sasuke got the chance to get himself comfortable, Kyu shoved...
Nya...nya...Got your attention? I'm such a tease aren't I?