Caranril: Mae govannen! (bows)
Thanks to Meira Evenstar. I did it! Got another chappie done! I feel so proud...
Legolas: For some reason, I'm proud too.
Caranril: That's cause you helped me a lot this time. Finally pulling your weight as a muse. (huggles Legolas)
Legolas: We still have lots of work to do, huh?
Caranril: You betcha! Expect another chappie in the next couple of days, unless Legolas decides to go on vacation during Spring Break and leave me hanging onto the Writer's Block.
disCLAIMER: While I do not own Naruto nor any affiliated subjects therein, Kishimoto-sama does and therefore he owns my soul.
Chapter 5: The Inazuma
After Kaori's rescue from Orochimaru's lair, the teams had made it to the port in less than a day. Because they'd gone on a slight detour, Kankurou and Temari were already waiting. While Kakashi and Shikamaru finished the preparations with the Inazuma's captain, Sakura took Kaori to the nearest medical facility. She locked Naruto and Sasuke out of the room while she and another female doctor examined Kaori.
Kaori's loss of blood startled Sakura. If they'd had the proper time and location, she would have tended to her when the sun first came up. Unfortunately it was also cloudy, and as the rain started to pour, Sakura had to remind herself they were nearing the coast and the weather was to be expected. The terrain was none too friendly either as they had all been covered in mud by the time they arrived. After giving Kaori a quick sponge bath, Sakura inserted an IV and checked her over. Trauma to her cervix. Erratic heartbeat. Infection spreading from the marking on her chest. High fever. In all honesty, Sakura had expected much worse in the aftermath of a night with Orochimaru. Then again, he had probably decided to use Kaori as a test subject. Which was probably the only reason she was still alive.
Sakura couldn't help but feel a slight pang in her gut. Orochimaru had done terrible things to those she loved. She couldn't imagine how it must be for people like Tenzou who were created simply because the experiment caught Orochimaru's fancy. To be created for the purpose of amusement from the pieces of someone else and be the only one of thirty subjects to survive. How did someone live with the fact that they were the special one? The only survivor? When nothing about their survival was under their own control?
As Sakura healed what she could, she felt tears forming in her eyes. Kaori had brought this upon herself, but she did it to eliminate the suffering of one of his subjects. And Sakura couldn't help but feel that Kaori did it out of love. She was honestly over Sasuke. But. But, the idea that someone loved him enough to give their life for him made her happy and sad at the same time. She could recall that night when she was 12. The night Sasuke left Konoha. She'd sworn to follow him wherever and to look after him. And he'd said thank you. Despite what he said and did, having a person care for him again was important. Kami-sama, she still dreamed of that night.
The captain provided a tunic for Kaori to wear and offered his quarters for her comfort. The hushed awe that filled the deck as Kaori was brought aboard on a stretcher made Sakura wonder just who she had been to them. She claimed to have never had friends before, and Sakura had to admit the sailors hardly looked like the friendly type. But as "Kaizoku" whispered through the scruffy men (and one woman, Sakura wasn't too sure), she felt somewhat proud. Kaori could never return to the life she once had knowing what she did now, yet she would always be the "Kaizoku" in her crewmates' eyes. A heroine.
Shikamaru discovered a dislike for ships and spent most of his time focusing on the horizon and trying not to puke. Fortunately for him, Temari's stomach wasn't too strong either, so she couldn't give him a hard time. Kankurou had found the rigging to be absolutely wonderful for practicing with Karasu, Kuroari, and Sanshouo. Naruto and Sasuke raced up the masts and timed each other to see who could go faster from bow to stern without touching the deck or rails. Kakashi hung out on the mainmast fighting top reading his pervy books. Sakura spent much time tending to Kaori, but whenever the patient was stable, Sakura learned as much as she could about sailing. As she hoisted and belayed lines, went aloft, and even polished the brass bell, Sakura could see why Kaori loved the life. Sure, baths were few and far between, and clean clothes even fewer, but the cook knew exactly what she was doing and the stories and music at night could entertain her forever. And the stars. They were endless. They dipped into the horizon and flooded the sky like it was an ocean of its own.
It was the third night at sea and Sakura decided to check on Kaori. She'd woken up earlier, but only long enough to puke all over herself and the bed before passing out again. If she could be moved, the fresh, warm air would do her good.
A quiet voice made her freeze. It was distinctly male, but Sakura wasn't sure who was supposed to be watching the patient.
"...you know too much about me to just leave like this." An ironic chuckle told Sakura that Sasuke was down there. "Problem is I dunno how I'm gonna react if you wake up. Am I gonna beat you up? Yell at you? Ignore you? Hug you? No, that's a Naruto thing."
Sakura wanted to leave this private moment alone, but her pounding heart kept her legs from working. People often said their innermost feelings to unconscious patients. Whether the patient heard or remembered or not was much debated in another field of medicine.
"How is you two get along so well? And how is it we always fight? Damnit. Both of you decided you wanted to take on Orochimaru for my sake. Am I really that special? Sure, I'm the last Uchiha. Sure, I'm a genius. Sure, I bear a Mangekyou Sharingan. But as a person? I know I have problems. I know more than most people would guess. And I also know I don't deserve your guys' devotion." He laughed again. "You're both like dogs."
Sasuke was silent for several minutes, and Sakura decided not to interfere. As she stood to sneak back up the stairs, a dull thud sounded and the ship rocked violently. Another thud and this time screaming wood and a shockwave of air flew past her. The crew shouted calls back and forth, but the only word Sakura's ringing ears could catch was "raid". Without even thinking about it, her body tensed itself and she drew tugged her gloves on. If a raid on a ship was anything like a raid on a village, there was sure to be some hand-to-hand combat.
"All hands t'arms!" Hikido Senchou roared from the helm. "We don't got Kaizoku to bail us out this time!"
Kaizoku...pirate? Weren't they being attacked by pirates? Sakura stood next to Kakashi at the port rail. A cannonball had torn through the galley and lodged itself in the crew quarters. Who knew how many were injured. Or dead. Another cannon fired and this time clipped the rudder.
"Where's that goddamn gunner!" Hikido screamed.
"Below, sir! Badly injured!" someone answered.
"Man yer posts and fire at will fire!"
"Fire in the hole!"
Sakura covered her ears as the Inazuma returned fire. In a very startling moment the three cannonballs burst into flames and rocketed towards the attacking ship. Two missed and the other passed right through the mainmast, setting the sail on fire. Sakura glanced at Sasuke, who dusted his hands in a casual manner. It was something similar to his Katon: Housenka no Jutsu, albeit a little improvised. As the raiders attempted to douse the flames and reload, Naruto sent some clones to run across the water and sneak on board. Temari sent gusts of wind towards the dying sail, convincing the fire to eat away at the mast. The tar protecting the mast catalyzed the fire and the entire mainmast was soon engulfed in flames. The raiders fired more shots, but this time the cannonballs were met by sharp missiles fired from Kankurou's puppets. The weapons didn't completely stop the cannonballs, but they caused minimum damage to the hull and were easily avoided. The ship sailed closer, determined to turn the attack into a boarding party. The flaming mast leered dangerously.
Kakashi clapped his hands together and in seconds formed the seals in seconds.
"Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu!"
A roaring dragon head emerged between the ships, rearing itself high above the masts. It crashed upon the raiding ship, extinguishing the fire and snapping the charred mast like a twig. As the water fell like heavy rain, large hooks flung from the mist and latched themselves onto the Inazuma. The ninja and crew hacked away as many as they could, but cover fire protected several lines as pirates nimbly dashed across the ropes. One punch from Sakura's fist smashed in the skull of the first. She flung a shuriken into the eye of another who raised a rifle in her direction. Guns were a dangerous enemy, but as long as she stayed on her toes she'd be fine. The crew could only watch in amazement as a battle that would normally take at least an hour of waging before completion was over in minutes. Naruto's clones had successfully snagged the captain and brought him before Hikido Senchou. Most of the pirate crew were dead.
While Sakura, Temari, and Shikamaru tended to the Inazuma's wounded, Naruto and Sasuke helped the crew dispose of the dead from both sides, and Kankurou and Kakashi attended the negotiations with the pirate captain. They decided to take the captain back to shore and let port master deal with his crimes, while his remaining crew were given the choice of being sent away in a life boat with no oars, staying in the brig to face charges back in the port, or being executed. All of them elected to stay in the brig. At least they'd be fed and watered. Kakashi couldn't help but feel a little awkward about the "justice system", but then again there was no real government in Kaori's country, much less on a ship. As they hauled the captives down to the brig, which was miraculously undamaged, a sailor hollered from the hold.
"Kaizoku's awake, Senchou!"
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Kaori stared wide-eyed at the faces surrounding her. The details had been sporadic and epic, but she more or less understood the story.
"Tell me the part about the raid again," she said eagerly, her eyes shining in awe. "I would have loved to see Sasuke's Katon and Kakashi's Suiton. And Naruto hauling that pirate bastard's ass off of his own throne..." She leaned back with a sigh.
"It was awesome!" Naruto agreed.
"Those two are so annoying," Kankurou muttered, taking a swig of rum. He wheezed at the strength but forced himself not to cough. Oh it was much better than the sake in the Sand. He looked around. After consuming decent amounts of rum, Temari and Shikamaru had finally found their sea legs and disappeared. No doubt doing a little "friggin in the riggin."
"I realize Naruto's got his props, but why's the foreigner so important?" he asked Sakura.
"Kaori-san has her 'props' too, don't you worry about that." She ignored the lecherous looks of the dirty old man. Saru or something.
"Only thing she's got goin for her is that rack," he mumbled.
"Oh you are so single-minded!" Sakura spat.
"Got that right." Kankurou leered at her. "Speakin of a great rack..."
Sakura promptly punched Kankurou in the face. He held his bleeding nose and cracked up.
"You're as uptight as ever, Sakura-chan. What you need is a good shag."
"What you need is to get your kabuki face out of my sight in five seconds else I'll rearranged your paint job."
Kankurou snorted, spewing more bleed. "Hai, hai, I get the picture." He tottered away to acquire more drink.
Sakura shook her head. Sake did weird things to men. Or maybe it was rum. Sasuke smiled goofily at Naruto, who had his arm around him. Nostalgia swept through Sakura, as Naruto twisted a finger into Sasuke's side, causing the Uchiha to gasp with laughter. They were so much fun when they were tanked. In comparison, Kakashi, who drank more rum than them all, was only a little flushed and perfectly coherent. That man could do anything while intoxicated.
"A long time ago the great gods roamed the earth, watching over mankind and giving great gifts to those with kindness...and curses to those who did evils." The bo'sun was a very quiet sort of man, atypical for someone of his position. But he did well in his job, and his soothing voice drew in everyone as he told his tale. His fables were looked forward to by the crew, only they never knew when he'd tell them. He would start talking with no warning, as if struck by inspiration.
"One day the fisherman Kanousei drew in his nets and discovered a pearl as large as his hand. This fortune was too good to be true! He took the pearl home and planned to find a buyer in market the next morning. He promised his family wonderful things they could finally buy. When he went out to sell it, he came across a poor man on the side of the road, diseased and starving.
"'Help me, kind stranger,' he begged. 'If you have anything to spare, please give it to me!'
"'I have nothing,' Kanousei lied. 'I'm on my way to beg in the market.'
"'Please sir, do not lie to me,' the blind man said. 'You must have something.'
"'I do not! Begone, filth!'
"The fisherman ran away and finally reached market. At that moment, bandits tore through the market, burning the stands and killing people. They shoved anything of value into their large saddlebags. Terrified for his life, Kanousei returned home, only to find his house burned to the ground and his family dead. As the bandits drew near, he fled to his boat to escape by sea. Along the way, a poisonous snake bit him for treading on its tail. As he went further out to sea, Kanousei felt the poison slowly killing him. To make matter worse, the skies thundered and began to pour.
"Alone, dying, and dejected, the fisherman pulled out the giant pearl to gaze on its beauty one last time. As lightening flashed through the sky, he saw the face of a terrible dragon on the pearl. It was then he realized that the pearl belonged to the god of the seas, the Dragon: governor of lightning, granter of wishes, but also bringer of terrible curses. The Dragon had been disguised as the poor, blind man, but because Kanousei was selfish, he was to lose everything, including his life. Kanousei stood in his boat and held the pearl to the flashing sky, crying out for forgiveness. The Dragon, satisfied that the human had suffered enough, granted forgiveness and reached out for the pearl. His great claw of lightning struck the man and fused him with the boat. He reshaped its form and gave it three masts, a quarter deck, tiller, and multiple holds. Kanousei's tears summoned an Oceanid, whose own tears mixed with his as she kissed away his sadness. As Kanousei became a part of the ship, the Oceanid's tearful form gripped the pearl and sank onto the bow, forever leading the ship. Together they formed the Inazuma, the lightening, this graceful ship guided by the Dragon's pearl through these waters."
Takai sat back and drew a long puff from his pipe, signaling his conclusion. There was a brief moment of silence as his words sank in, and then the ruckus started back up.
"That's the first time even I've heard that one," chuckled Hikido. "Takai, old friend, you still surprise me."
Takai nodded, staring at Kaori, who avoided his gaze. For some reason, the story disturbed her slightly. It was a wonderful fable concerning the Inazuma's existence, but it felt like the bo'sun had told that story specifically for her. She stiffened visibly, then suddenly stood and dashed away from the circle. She climbed on the windlass and allowed the shivers to consume her. Ever since she'd awoken in Senchou's quarters, she'd been unable to get warm. She hid it effectively, but sitting still during Takai's story was troublesome, and she had been so enraptured by it that the cold was much more shocking when she returned to her senses. It drove her nuts, but she didn't want to tell anyone of her problem. It would just make them worry about her more.
"My, my, looks who's a party pooper," a calm voice said from behind her. An extra spasm went through her before she quelled the shivers.
"I'm thinking."
"Are you okay, Kaori-san?"
She looked at Kakashi, who looked genuinely concerned. At least, as concerned as he could look with a bottle of rum in one hand and the other in a sling.
"Yeah, that story just got me thinking is all."
"No, I meant...I know Sakura's healed you and all, but you still have the memories of what happened."
"I'd rather not discuss it-"
"I know what he did to you," he blurted.
Kaori paled. "How..."
"It's not something I'm proud of, but I could smell it." Kakashi took a generous swig. "I can sort of turn my sense of smell off, but it's still very strong. I could smell...what he did to you."
"Oh shit." Kaori buried her face in her hands. That was really embarrassing. She wondered if Sasuke knew too. He'd been the one to save her after all.
"I-I'm sorry. I'm just a little bit drunk right now," Kakashi admitted with a giggle. "Just wanted to check on you. So you're okay?"
"I'll be fine, thanks."
She lifted her head when she felt him suddenly closer. He sniffed her hair, sighing slightly, then turning and sauntering back for more rum. Kaori watched him go, utterly bewildered. No one had ever made her heart beat so fast, while never really doing anything. He was so odd.
"I can't really be one to talk about oddness," she muttered to herself as she climbed the foremast. Ah, the view up here was always her favourite. Even though they were anchored for the night, she still felt like they were sweeping across the sea. If only those damn shivers would stop, everything'd be perfect. Kami-sama, how she'd missed this life. And now it was doubly good with her teammates there too.
"Cold, Akumako?"
Kaori jumped, her senses so numb she hadn't even smelled the rum on his breath.
"Uchiha." She gripped her arms irritably. "I dunno if it's a side effect of this curse seal or not, but I haven't been able to get warm since I woke up."
Sasuke touched her arm. "You're as cold as when I found you in his cave. I thought you were dead, you know. Scared the shit outta me."
"Seriously?" Kaori leaned back and looked up at him. Now she could smell the rum.
He nodded, squatting. "You're covered in goosebumps."
"Told you I was cold."
He sat down behind her, his legs alongside her own, and slid his arms around her in a tight hug.
"I'll make you warm," he whispered in her ear.
Instant blush flooded through her. And her heart thudded painfully. They sat that way for several minutes, Sasuke's body flush with her back. And for some reason her damn heart wouldn't stop pounding. It was quite painful and she was sure Sasuke could feel it racing. But she did feel warmer. And her body started to relax. Like it had when they'd been forced to keep each other warm to stay alive during their "imprisonment." It was so wrong to feel that way, but the peacefulness she felt certainly nullified those feelings. And she began to feel sleepy with contentment.
Sasuke had never felt this way before. He was sure Kaori could feel his panicky heart. He'd been with women, but it was always just to get rid of stress, never a situation like this. And the fact that she was relaxing made him even more nervous. If it hadn't been for the rum, he would never have done such a thing. But he wanted to hold her so very badly. He gazed at her hair, which practically glowed in the starlight. She wasn't wearing her hitai-ate. He remembered when she ran into him in the Academy. She had been wearing a long, dark blue dress. Then later when she was rain-soaked, hair everywhere. Freaking out. She hadn't left a good second impression, particularly after she kicked him in the balls. Sasuke winced, recalling how laid up he'd been with that cheap shot. And now she'd risked her life to save his. Time was a funny thing, liked to make changes, large and illogical. But that didn't mean he wasn't grateful...
"I didn't ever thank you for what you did," he said quietly.
"What I did?" she murmured.
"Don't play dumb. The whole reason you're in this shape right now. I never..." Sasuke felt this incredible yearning to kiss her shining hair. His muddled brain didn't protest as he pressed his nose into her hair, inhaling slightly. She didn't smell like cherries and almonds like before. She still smelled faintly of Orochimaru. He's really gotten his stench all over her. Despite that, his lips gently pressed against her scalp. Kaori stiffened, but Sasuke didn't want to stop. When she made no move to pummel him, he kissed behind her ear, which flamed red.
"Uchiha, what're you..." she fell silent as he inhaled against her skin.
"Thanking you," he breathed out. Smiling slightly at the effect he was having on her, he continued down her neck, slowly, agonizingly, afraid to make any sudden movements. Slightly shocked by his own assertiveness, he nibbled along her shoulder. Kaori gasped, a shudder running through her body, which rubbed delightfully against his own. He stifled a moan as he nipped up her neck.
"Ahh!" Kaori cried out in pain and fell to the side, clutching frantically at her heart.
"What? What is it?" he asked in shock. He rolled her over and moved the tunic collar slightly. The seal was flaming red. Like his seal had done whenever it reacted to his Chakra. What the hell?
"Ow. Ow. Ah fuck it burns!" Kaori panted shallowly, scratching furiously at her chest.
"Don't do that!" Sasuke grabbed her wrists. She lay there, trying to regain control of her breathing. He could only watch as the seal faded back to black, though Kaori was still in pain.
"What the hell was that?" she groaned, thankful that it was only a dull throb again.
"Maybe we should get Kakashi to seal it up. He did that with mine, though it didn't work so well because I broke the seal myself."
"Seal up the seal? Does it really work?"
"He needs a large, empty room though. We'd have to wait until we reached your country." Sasuke helped her sit up. "What...happened..."
Kaori blushed. "Erm...well...I was...what I mean is...I think I liked...it too much. What you were doing. Cause it hurt before, but then the...further along...then it hurt really bad all of a sudden."
Sasuke leaned against the mast. "Kakashi's going to want to know what happened."
"Oh." Kaori curled her legs to her chin. The atmosphere was incredibly awkward. She couldn't look at Sasuke, but when she managed a glance, he seemed to be avoiding looking at her too, his face stony.
"Kaaooooori-chan!" Naruto hollered from below. "We wanna show 'em what you've learned!"
"Hai!" Kaori stood and brushed herself off. "Ah...guess I'll see you." She descended swiftly, grateful to leave the embarrassed silence. Sasuke sighed, scratched his head, then followed her down.
A chuckle came from under a blanket on the mainmast fighting top.
"Did you see all that, Nara-kun?"
"Eh, that just means more trouble for me." Sigh.
"Don't be stupid. This is highly interesting."
"That's just cause they don't live in the same town as you. Do you now how many Uchiha Sasuke fanclubs there are?"
"At least two in Sunagakure," Temari said casually.
"Oh, geez." Shikamaru slapped his forehead. "Can't say it's the genius. Maybe it's his hair?"
"Oh you know it's just cause they say genius nins are good in everything, including bed...but what would they know?" Temari nuzzled Shikamaru's neck. "I'm the one with the real-life experience."
"So am I a genius in bed?"
Temari slid his hand between her thighs. "What does this tell you?" she asked huskily.
Shikamaru chuckled and rolled her over for another session under the stars.