WANTED

Captain of the Sharingan

Chapter One
One Year Ago…
The Bloody Eyed Pirate
Her Reason

Part I

In Which Sakura Hides from Pirates

Sakura looked around the room, from the polished wooden floors, to the sliding doors, the painted screens and was unable to suppress a sense of wonderment. The estates owned by the clans of Konoha Island were truly on a different level to the manor that she lived in with her troupe and it was difficult to stop herself from halting her stride to stare at everything. More than once, the head mistress stopped and scolded at her to keep up. She tried watching her feet on the floor, a half-hearted attempt to keep up with the others until they reached the waiting room. Her slightly scuffed sandals, the best pair of shoes that she owned, did little to hold her interest and it wasn't very long before she was openly gaping at the traditional elegance that surrounded them as they were led deeper into the Uchiha Estate.

She had been five years old when the mistress of the music troupe had come across Sakura in a small shelter just outside of Kobe on the mainland isle of Honshu in the East. Sakura hardly remembered any of her life before then, just the sense that everything had been dark, dreary, and—at times—painful. One thing she did remember was that she had always enjoyed singing.

Which was what had prompted the old woman to take Sakura along when she left Kobe to start a troupe of talented musicians from around the world.

By the time she was seven the troupe was well known, and although they had never achieved the popularity that the mistress had always dreamed of, there was enough money coming in that even Sakura could afford a little trinket every now and then. Not everyone had appreciated the slight accent that gave Sakura's songs an odd sort of softness that worked well with her clear soprano voice, but they seemed to find the twelve year old girl charming.

The old mistress credited Sakura's voice giving the troupe the luck of being graced with an invitation to perform for one of Konoha Island's most prestigious clans. Out of all of the islands that they traveled to, it was the residents here that most appreciated her soft accent. Sakura liked to think it was because maybe, in her voice, they could almost remember the country to the East that their ancestors had left so many years ago. The clans remained faithful to the traditions and culture that she scarcelyrecognized.

When the troupe had first disembarked onto the northern part of the isle that was reserved solely for the talented clans of a people that sold their talents to the highest bidder, Sakura had felt almost wistful at the girl that looked to be about her age with long ebony hair and milky eyes, wearing a colorful yukata. It was as they got closer, however, that a chill she remembered from when she was very young crept down her spine. She couldn't quite recall the 'why' of the chill. She only knew that it was a very unpleasant thing, and something she wanted desperately to avoid.

Maybe that chill was the reason why she found herself wandering away from her troupe mates. She was watching her feet again, letting her pink hair fall forward to obscure her face, and hardly noticed where she was going, her mind concentrating instead on trying to recall why the chill screamed of trouble and pain. It was only when she realized that she could no longer hear the soft murmurs of the other musicians and the raspy voice of the head mistress that she looked up in alarm. The hall that she was in was just as immaculate as all of the others, but somehow the floors didn't seem to shine as brightly. Only a few candles lit the hall.

Sakura took a few hesitant steps forward, her green eyes widening when she heard the soft murmur of voices. They were harsh, demanding, and male. Something about the tone of these voices had her moving backwards in the direction that she had originally come in. She knew there was no possible way it could have belonged to the few male musicians that belonged to the troupe. The men she could hear spoke in demanding, angry tones that were coming from the end of the hall. The men in the troupe were always soft spoken and on the rare occasions that they did raise their voices it was only to debate about a composer or a piece of music. The one that they were most famous for arguing about was The Devil's Score and where it could possibly be located.

Of course, there wasn't a musician out there who didn't itch to get their hands on the legendary, cursed score.

She was concentrating so hard on making a quiet retreat as possible that she completely forgot that the Uchihas were a clan of ninjas and could move far more stealthily than she could ever hope to.

"What are you doing here?"

Sakura swore violently under her breath as she ducked low behind a crate. Digging into her pocket she pulled out the leather thong that she had decided to bring at the last minute. Running her fingers through her hair she cocked her head to the side and listened as she deftly pulled her hair into a tight braid. Heavy booted steps came close to her hiding place just as she finished wrapping the thong around the end of her hair. She breathed as lightly as she dared and waited, balancing on the balls of her feet ready to dart out of the crate at the first sign of detection.

She should have known that a wig wouldn't have been enough.

She held her breath when the sailor got close enough.

"Where did that bitch go?"

Even though Sakura had the distinct impression that he had tried to mutter under his breath the words had been much too loud. She knew with unerring certainty that all the sailor had to do was look down and he would see a few strands of pink hair. She didn't dare move lower to try and hide herself further.

A loud shout came from above and the man turned away, his attention drawn elsewhere.

"Did you find her?"

The sailor stepped away as he let out a string of expletives that confirmed a denial. He walked towards the door, and—more importantly—away from Sakura. It wasn't until the door shut firmly behind him as he left the ship's armory that she allowed herself to breath a sigh of relief and even then she didn't dare to move for several minutes.

"Who are you? What are doing here?" The voice was male and sharp, and there was a hint of arrogance in it that had her spine straightening.

Sakura almost didn't want to turn around, already she could imagine the entertainment being cancelled for the night simply because she was foolish enough to go and wander somewhere that she wasn't supposed to be. Biting the inside of her cheek Sakura steeled herself to face the impending sense of doom that she would no doubt witness. The voice had sounded young enough that they couldn't be too much older than her, which was a little reassuring but didn't help much. She had been to enough towns wherehierarchies were so rigid that boys her age were sometimes worse. More than once mud had been thrown in her direction because she was a girl. Although hierarchies weren't as rigidly structured on this island as they were in other towns and cities that they had performed at, she had been cautioned more than once to be on her best behavior while at the Uchiha estate and to do her best to stay out of sight until it was time for them to perform once they had arrived at their waiting room.

A lot of good that had done.

"Hey! Don't walk away from me!"

Biting her lip she turned around, keeping her eyes on the floor. Minding the western manners that the old mistress had engrained into her she bobbed into a curtsey, the low, respectful type that was due to members of the nobility before slowly raising her eyes to the boy in front of her.

His voice hadn't sounded that much older then, but she had to guess him to be at least two, maybe three, years older than her.

The dark clothing he wore was a little astonishing, but Sakura hid her surprise as she straightened, doing her best to stop herself from meeting the boy's eyes directly.

The tunic and breeches seemed so out of place among the traditional silk gi, hakama, and kimono that she had noticed the other people who resided in the Uchiha Estate wore. They seemed terribly common, and for a moment she felt ashamed for even thinking such a thing. The material seemed to be of a plain cotton, and in some spots it almost seemed to be worn—a clear indication of constant use.

That was strange. The old mistress had always told her that the people who bought the troupe's service was never the type to wear an article of clothing more than once. Mentally shaking herself, Sakura allowed herself to only briefly look up at the boy's face—but never, never, directly in his eyes—before lowering her head once more.

If she thought him common for his clothing then that was foolishness on her part. His skin was pale, the kind of paleness that spoke of very little time in the sun and there was an angle to his nose and chin that could only be called aristocratic. He was very handsome, and to her mortification she felt a light blush creep over her cheeks.

"I apologize, young master." She murmured. She had no idea if he was a son of the house, but with that tone of voice she highly doubted that he could be anything but. "That was not my intent."

With her eyes lowered, once again studying the ground, she completely missed the look of what could only be called disappointment that crossed the boy's face. Strangely, Sakura didn't feel particularly scared; she was more nervous of the raised voices that were steadily getting closer. She worried her lower lip between her teeth. She needed to think of anything, some sort of excuse to get him to give her permission to leave. Something in her gut told her that she definitely did not want to be in this particular hallway when the men emerged from their room. Gritting her teeth she dared to look up at him once more, to mutter a pardon and beg his leave to remove herself from his presence.

It was strange but when she raised her head to try and gauge just what she would need to do to get that permission she couldn't help but be drawn to his eyes. A light blush spread across her cheeks at the intensity in his obsidian eyes, and Sakura couldn't quite bring herself to look away. It was several moments before she was able to find her words again to beg his leave, and when she finally managed to speak the most that she could manage was a stutter.

It most definitely had not been her smartest decision. Sakura fingered the stray locks that had escaped her braid. She liked her hair long and even though pink was a highly unusual color she wouldn't change it for anything. She had been searching for that damnable ship for nearly eight years now. More than one person had told her that eight years was too long a time to be chasing after someone who was in all likelihood dead.

She didn't care. Reaching under her tunic she withdrew the small brass locket that held the dried sakura petals that he had given her all those years ago.

Sasuke had been one of the most important things in her life. He had taught her that there was more to life than just singing and answering to the will of the nobles that ruled the land. She couldn't just leave him be, especially when she didn't even know if he was still alive.

And he was. She just knew that he was.

He had to be.

It really wasn't all that fair that their time together had been so short. The week that the troupe had lingered at the Uchiha Estates, and then the five days in which they had stayed on Konoha Isle had been entirely unusual. Usually they never stayed long after their performance was finished and their fee was collected, but something had kept the old mistress—the closest person that Sakura had ever had to a mother—there. The old mistress hadn't been comfortable staying there, but Sakura had never been more grateful. Those had probably been the best five days of her life.

It wouldn't be too far from the truth if she were to say that the time spent on Konoha Isle had changed her life forever.

Mayhap—Now she was even starting to think like the mistress— it was the intensity in his eyes, but her mouth suddenly felt dry. Young as she was, Sakura knew that the word beautiful would be a grossly inappropriate term for describing the boy in front of her. He was obviously only a few years older than her, perhaps two at most, and just the look in his eyes made butterflies dance in her stomach. Her cheeks grew warmer and it vaguely occurred to her that perhaps this was that attraction that the older women of the troupe often talked about as they prepared meals.

It was only when someone cleared their throat that Sakura noticed the elegant woman that stood behind the boy. She flushed crimson at the amusement that was evident in the woman's face, and hastily bobbed into another curtsy.

"I do apologize Young Master, Milady. I didn't mean to wander away from the others I just—"

She was rather abruptly cut off when the woman laughed. There was none of the mocking cruelty that she was accustomed to hearing from those of such high birth. Hesitantly, for she wasn't quite sure what to expect (was she going to be reprimanded), she raised her green eyes daring to meet the eyes of the lady.

Her clothing was very similar to the style of dress that Sakura had seen on the little girl just outside of the Uchiha compound. The silk of the kimono looked terribly heavy and uncomfortable but she couldn't help but dazzled by the beauty of it. It was a deep blue and the lines of the silver embroidery seemed to mimic the waterfall that was located at the southern point of the island. The black obi was simple, covered by a silver, woven rope.

Why was it that everything about the clans was so dazzling?

The woman's soft hair spilled over her shoulders in straight ebony strands. Her brown eyes looked past Sakura, in the direction that the girl had been heading away from. Her unpainted mouth thinned into a tight line and she placed an elegant hand on the shoulder of her son.

"Sasuke, why don't you take her out to the veranda?. I'll go and find her guardians."

Sakura could only blink when the boy, Sasuke's, mouth kicked up into a half smirk as he reached out and grabbed her hand. She couldn't form a response and followed him numbly as he led her down a hall and through a pair of shoji doors.

As she allowed herself to be pulled she couldn't quite shake the feeling that she had missed something rather important.

The days she had spent with Sasuke had been the first time that she had found herself wanting something more than the too brief five days that they had been given. She had wanted more than the constant traveling with the troupe. She had only been twelve but she found herself wanting to stay.

The sound of heavy footsteps came from the hallway and she sunk into a low crouch, deftly re-braiding the loose strands of her hair as she waited for a sign that it was safe to move so that she could get off this ship.

Yet again another mistake. Another failure.

She had been so certain that this ship was the Sharingan! After all it had looked like it had a bad enough reputation that, at the very least, could have had a connection to the infamous Bloody-Eyed Pirate, and the few inquiries that she had made at the previous town had confirmed it.

She just really hadn't expected to discover that it was a slave ship that was regularly targeted by the Sharingan.

She contemplated the opening in the hull just across from her. With how choppy the seas where today it would be a simple matter to move the cannon and the hole was big enough to accommodate her slight form.

Sakura reached into her pocket for the hair pins she kept for emergency purposes and secured her braid to the nape of her neck. She listened carefully for the sounds of the sailors, waiting to see if any of them would be coming back. The captain, she had discovered, was a cautious man for all of the fact that he didn't seem too bright.

It took far longer than she would have liked to reach the cannon. Knowing what these men were capable of if they caught her made her act far more cautiously than she normally would have. Sakura had heard rumors of the ports that they would be docking at and the last thing that she wanted to do was to still be on the ship when they arrived.

Maybe they had done her a favor after all.

When she moved for the canon she nearly swore at the locks that she saw that kept the chains attached to the cannon secure. She had gotten really good at picking locks over the last couple of years, but this was going to take time. Probably more time than she really had.

The veranda, it appeared, merely overlooked a small garden with a little koi pond at the far end. Sakura looked up, surprised to see that the estate surrounded the garden on all sides.

"Generally only members of our clan are permitted to come here." The boy explained after seeing her perplexed expression.

She whipped her head around to look back at him, startled, her green eyes wide. Finally, when she opened her mouth to speak she was able to actually form the words she had intended, even though it did come out embarrassingly high pitched.

"Why am I here…" She didn't dare call him by his given name, but it seemed rude to call him young master. "Uchiha-sama?"

The look of amusement in that quirk of the mouth that couldn't quite be called a smile melted into an annoyed scowl.

"Don't call me that." She would have been lying if she had said that his curt voice surprised here. After all she had been spoken to in a much more offending manner before, but the words that followed it did. "My name is Sasuke. Uchiha-sama is my father and my uncle."

"Sasuke-sama."

The scowl still remained. "Just Sasuke." He snapped.

"Sasuke—" She hesitated as she tested the name. Something about saying his name without any honorific just didn't feel right. "—kun." She sorely wished that she hadn't gotten into the habit of pushing her bangs back with clips. There was nothing she would have liked more than the ability to hide from his gaze beneath the fringe of her hair.

She wasn't sure if it was simply because he was older than her, but there was an intensity about him that unnerved her. He gave her another scowl—which she was quite sure was his way of sticking out his tongue in defiance!—and they lapsed into an uneasy silence as they waited for his mother to return with someone from her troupe.

It wasn't long before Sakura found herself tapping her fingers against the side of her skirt in slight annoyance. She had never been very good with being idle. At times like this, when she was bored, she would usually start working on one of the new songs that the mistress wanted her to learn, but somehow being here with a son of the Uchiha household it felt as if singing would be violating something. Instead she let her eyes wander over the garden.

It was yet another thing of beauty that she could marvel at.

A path made of smooth white stones wove around the garden's entirety and she had a sneaking suspicion that the path was not one you wanted to tread on with bare feet. Next to the pond there was, irritatingly enough, a cherry tree and the sakura blossoms were just starting to bloom. At the other end there was a large bonsai tree. The beauty was traditional and elegant and she was quite sure that there was a lot of hidden meeting in the garden that she was just too stupid to understand.

A slight creak came from behind her and when she turned her head to the source she was surprised to see the young Uchiha—Sasuke, she reminded herself—leaning against the wall watching her.

To her own mortification Sakura found herself unable to do anything but blush. She opened her mouth to say something, although once more she wasn't quite sure what, when there was a horrible crashing sound that had her shrinking back from the source. Her companion merely looked annoyed—indeed if his grunt was anything to go by—and stared in the direction of the pond. She looked back at him and saw that his hands were moving into rapid succession of…well, they looked almost looked like some kind of hand signs. Then he mouth quirked up into an amused half smirk and he seemed to be waiting for something.

What exactly it was that he was waiting for became apparent shortly afterwards. She only had time to follow his gaze back to the koi pond before a shriek of rage rent the air. Then something that was very, very orange and yellow was hurtling towards the pond. Sakura could only gape in surprise as the boy sized blur hit the pond with a resounding splash and the garden flooded.

"Teme!" What she now realized to be a person stood up rather abruptly. All it took was one glance and she immediately knew that this person, boy rather, was not a member of any of the clans. She only had time to wonder just what exactly the boy was doing on the clan part of Konoha Isle before he was moving out of the pond and rushing towards Sasuke.

While the boy that was dark and pale this new boy was anything but. His hair was nearly every bit as spikey as Sasuke's, but his was as bright as a sunflower. His blue eyes, which reminded her of a summer sky at high noon, seemed impossibly bright and his skin was so very tan. Maybe it had to with the fact that there was a strange air around Sasuke that just made him seem older, but this boy looked so much younger, almost closer to her own age.

It was only when the sun glinted off something in his hand that she was able to begin to grasp just what it was and that this new boy had some strange weapon in his hand. Sakura turned her head towards Sasuke, mouth forming the words for him to watch out but he was gone.

The first lock had probably been the hardest one to pick. She had wasted too much time waiting, spent too much time being careful. They may have been fools but the captain and his first mate at least had enough common sense to realize that, aside from the hold, this room had the most places to hide. It was annoyingly tedious and nearly every time she tried to release the lock, she had to hide. The other ones were quicker, easier, to undo. Her heart thudded in her chest when she was forced to hide herself between two crates, and she had to bite her lip when they drew much too close for her liking. The ship was being buffeted by the winds and the rough waters and it wasn't just the fact that they didn't see the locks that Sakura didn't have time to hide that was a blessing. The last lock was so rusted that it wouldn't take more than a quick blow to break it. It was a miracle that it hadn't broken already.

Which was something that was rather fortunate for since her hiding place was in a direct path if the cannon was to suddenly break free.

Sakura had just started to roll the cannon forward when the ship started to rock violently. Her breath caught in her throat as she lost her grip on the heavy cannon, but she didn't scream or cry out. There was no time for that. She let it roll forward and smash through the wall. There were shouts coming from all directions and she wasted no time in pushing the chains out of the way and crawling through a small opening. It was strange, but somehow she had a feeling that she wasn't the one they were concerned about anymore.

It only occurred to her, after she had lost her grip on the ships siding and she was plunging towards the icy waters, that she really had no idea how far away they were from land. Most likely, it would have been smarter for her to wait for nightfall and lower one of the row boats into the water to make her escape. The water invaded her nostrils as she kicked and swam up to the surface.

It was only when she broke the surface of the water that she heard the screams. She was too busy trying to figure out what direction land was in—oh, that way­—to really care.

But it was too dark for her to see and she couldn't afford to linger. A massive, dark ship with white sails that bore a pirate's emblem that she couldn't quite make out was bearing down on the slave ship. As she made her way, swimming towards the docks, Sakura had this horrible sinking sensation that she had been too rash. Somehow she knew that she had missed a chance. If the cold hadn't been seeping into her limbs she might have taken the time to cry. She knew without a doubt that the ship, that massive pirate ship, belonged to the infamous Bloody Eyed pirate. Something in her would have broke at the thought that she had lost another chance to find him. He was so close, so unbelievably close. If only she had waited!

She pushed these thoughts from her mind, and concentrated on getting back to the port alive. She would rent a room that had a private bath. When she was soaking in hot water instead of freezing in the salty spray, only then would she allow herself to cry over another spectacular failure.

So many years had already passed. He couldn't afford to wait for her much longer.

If he was even still alive.

The long, loose strands of her hair brushed her cheeks and neck as the young Uchiha blurred passed, and for a quarter of a moment she could have sworn that she saw him grin. Then he was gone and there was a clash and suddenly they were fighting, the strange weapon that they each carried connecting with the disconcerting sound of steel against steel in between the punches and kicks.

Vaguely she became aware that what she was actually seeing was a battle between two trained ninjas—shinobi. It had been quite sometime since she had last felt so insignificant. They couldn't have been that much older than her but they moved with a grace and speed that she would have killed for.

"Oh dear." That soft lilting voice of Sasuke's mother had her turning, and Sakura wasn't too surprised to see the old mistress' severe face peering over the Lady Uchiha's shoulder.

Sakura's cheeks flushed crimson when her guardian caught her staring and glared at Sakura with the most fiercesome one she could manage. It was usually only reserved for the older boys of the troupe, but this wasn't the first time that Sakura had been forced to bear the brunt of it.

Hastily remembering her manners she sank into a bow.

The Lady Uchiha merely gave another elegant chuckle before placing her hand on Sakura's shoulder.

"I see Hatsumi taught you well. No need to stand on ceremony with me, young lady."

Sakura raised her green eyes to the lovely woman and the rich colors of her kimono in surprise. She had never been addressed by a member of any nobility like that, and it had seemed so sincere. There had been nothing at all mocking about her words. She knew from personal experience that the nobility whether they were members of clans, descendants of royal lineage, or peers of unsurpassed power were very good at playing pretend, but there was something about this woman that told Sakura that deception was not an inherit part of her nature.

Of course, that didn't mean she wasn't capable of it.

"Sakura, come here." The old mistress' voice was polite, but there was a strained quality to it that made Sakura pause. She had that look in her eyes that tolerated no delay or disobedience so the young girl scrambled to her teacher's side.

Already she was dreading the verbal lashing that she was sure to receive the moment they arrived at the quarters that the clan had been generous enough to grant the troupe.

"Don't be too harsh with her, Hatsumi."

The old mistress' lips twisted in a way that only Sakura could identify as unpleasant. The young singer recognized the name Hatsumi. It was one of the many names that people had given her guardian over the course of their travels. She had always wondered at it, and her guardian had replied that one could never be too cautious in the uncertainty of the times.

"As it pleases you, Mikoto-sama. If it be your pleasure I would like to take young Sakura and retire. We have much to prepare for tomorrow night."

The Lady Uchiha, Mikoto, let out a sigh as if that had been the request that she had been anticipating, but was still disappointed.

"Yes, go on. The southern passage will take you to the kitchens. From there a servant will escort you the rest of the way."

The old mistress bowed low, ignoring the Lady's sigh of exasperation, and Sakura followed suit, wincing at the way her guardian squeezed her hand too tightly.

Sakura had thought that there might have been something just a bit different from these ninja clans that separated them from the nobility that the troupe so commonly performed for. Unfortunately, it was becoming increasingly apparent that it was not the case. Her ears would be blistering from the scolding the mistress was sure to give her tonight, and she would most likely be confined to the quarters that had been prepared for them.

Each step she took felt just a little bit heavier. That meant she probably wouldn't be able to see Sasuke-kun again either.

It just now occurs to me that I am combining pirates and ninjas…personally I have no preference. Because Kakashi is damn sexy and so is Sasuke. Of course, so is Captain Jack Sparrow, and, naturally, Pirate Skulls. Please note, that unless I decide to do a crack chapter there will be no shinigami in this fic.

Sorry for the shortness after such a long time with out an update. They will meet in the next chapter.