The Little Merman
Summary-
Naruto is a merman that was assigned to watch Sakura, Triton's youngest daughter. When Sakura falls in love with a human Prince, she goes to the sea wizard to be with him. While trying to stop and save her Naruto takes the full blast of the spell and becomes human while Sakura just loses her voice. Now in order to free Sakura from the sea wizard Naruto must complete the contract that Sakura had signed and make the human Prince fall in love with him in two weeks. Can Naruto do it? Or will he and Sakura belong to the sea wizard forever.
Chapter 6-
"Oh, you're gonna love it. Choji, our chef, has been fixing his specialty, stuffed crab." Kakashi said as Naruto took a drink of his water. Naruto's eyes widened in shock and then began to cough on his water. Iruka instantly ran over to him and began to rub his back trying to calm him down.
"O-oh I see." Naruto said. The doors opened and a couple servants walked in carrying their dinner plates covered up with a lid, Naruto gulped when his was sat in front of him.
"You know, Sasuke, perhaps our young guest might enjoy seeing some of the sights of the kingdom. Something in the way of a tour?" Itachi said taking a sip of his drink trying to catch Sasuke's attention, but Sasuke was just sitting in his seat staring lovingly at Naruto who was staring nervously at his covered plate.
"I'm sorry, Itachi, what was that?" Sasuke asked when Iruka lightly elbowed him and motioned to Itachi.
"I said, why not show Naruto the kingdom. Just the two of you." Itachi said as he lifted his plate cover up to show Tsuke hiding under a piece of lettuce catching Naruto's and, unknowingly, Kakashi's attention.
"That is a wonderful idea, dear brother." Sasuke said catching Itachi's drift as Naruto slightly lifted his plate cover and motioned with his eyes for Tsuke to hide there. Once he was sure no one was looking, Tsuke ran the short distance from Itachi's plate to Naruto's. Naruto quickly and quietly closed his cover just as Itachi and Sasuke looked over to him.
"So, what do you say Naruto? Would you mind joining me on a tour of the kingdom?" Sasuke asked.
"I would love to." Naruto said smiling at Sasuke as he sneakily reached under his cover and let Tsuke crawl into his palm. Never noticing that Kakashi was watching him.
"Wonderful, now let's eat, before this crab wanders off my plate." Itachi said then took his fork and stabbed his empty plate. He looked very confused as Naruto and Iruka hid a snicker, Sasuke smirked and Kakashi hid a laugh behind a cough. Iruka and Sasuke began to eat, Kakashi kept watching Naruto to see if he would lift his cover and eat or not while Itachi looked around his plate to try and locate his missing lunch.
"What is wrong Naruto? Not hungry?" Kakashi asked making Naruto jump in shock while catching Sasuke's attention.
"Y-yes, I mean no, I'm hungry." Naruto said as he tried to come up with an excuse as to why he wasn't eating.
"Then why don't you take your cover off and enjoy the stuffed crab?" Kakashi asked leaning his head on his hand while watching Naruto's face closely. Iruka kicked Kakashi's leg under the table trying to get his attention to give him a look to stop.
"I-um-I'm allergic to crab, well sea-food in general." Naruto said pushing his plate towards Itachi, "So Prince Itachi can have mine."
"You're allergic sea-food? How funny, so is Iruka." Kakashi said and Iruka glared at him knowing exactly what he was trying to do. "You know what I also find funny, not only are you and Iruka both allergic to sea-food, but you both were involved in a ship wreck that lead you here. But the only thing that is different between you two is that Iruka lost his voice from the ship wreck while you have your voice." Kakashi said and Naruto glared at Iruka who was busy staring at his plate intently.
Suddenly Naruto got a picture in his mind. It was Iruka as a merman, or a young 17 year old merman that looked just like Iruka, he had the scar over his nose and everything. The merman was watching something horrific, for he had a shocked, scared, and horrified look on his face. What he was looking at, Naruto didn't know.
Naruto pushed away from the table shocking everyone. "I'm suddenly not very hungry. I'd like to rest if that is alright." He said and Iruka stood up.
"Shall I show you to your room?" Iruka asked.
"Yes, thank you." Naruto said and followed Iruka out of the room. Kakashi watched them go with curious eyes, that was not the reaction he had been looking for. Naruto was hiding something other than being a merman, something that involved Iruka and him once being a merman.
"What was that about?" Itachi asked.
"I believe Naruto and Iruka are from the same kingdom. And that Naruto is hiding something, what that something is, I do not know." Kakashi said and Sasuke and Itachi looked at each other concerned.
.:'':.
Naruto was leaning on his balcony railing staring out into the ocean, Iruka was standing awkwardly behind him waiting for him to saying something, anything. Iruka closed his eyes and balled his fist, he couldn't stand this, why wasn't he yelling at him, demanding why he didn't do anything to help him. Naruto turned his head and watched Iruka over his shoulder, he knew this man, or had meet him once. But he couldn't remember, why couldn't he remember?
"I know you. Don't I?" Naruto asked slowly turning around to face Iruka.
"Yes, well, no." Iruka said refusing to look at Naruto. It was his fault this young boy was like this, if only he had been stronger, braver, less of a cowered, then he could have saved him. Protected him. But he hadn't been and now the boy was suffering because of him.
"Which is it? Yes or no. It's not a hard question." Naruto said, his voice guarded so Iruka couldn't tell what he was thinking or feeling.
"I, we-we never actually truly met. I was there when the guards drug you into the castle on King Triton's orders. We locked eyes as they passed me." Iruka said his voice full of guilt.
"Why was I being drug into the castle? Why did King Triton order his guards after me? And why don't I remember this?" Naruto asked.
"There was a war going on at that time. A war over the territory, King Triton wasn't King at that time. Another more powerful being was in control, it was said that he was fair and kind, yet no one had truly seen or met him.
"It was said that King Triton had supposedly been this person's head guard and he got drunk with power and didn't think that the man was doing a good job. He was allowing the humans to know that merfolks existed.
"By the time you were drug in to the castle the war had been going on for many centuries. A rumor had been started that you had something to do with the person King Triton was fighting. I don't actually know what the rumor actually was, but I know it was about you. The guards searched for you for months, maybe even years before they supposedly found you deep in a cave. I over heard one guard say that you didn't even put up a fight, it was almost like you were waiting for them.
"As why you don't remember, I don't know. Maybe they tortured you so much that you lost your memory. And I'm sorry because when we met I could have saved you and taken you to some where safe, somewhere they would never have found you. It's my fault you lost your memory." Iruka said tears falling from his face. Naruto stood in silence as he let the information Iruka just told him sink in.
If all of that was true, which something in him was telling him it was, then why had King Triton make him his daughter's personal servant? Most likely to either prove a point to who ever the first ruler was and try to embarrass him even further. Because if King Triton wanted him that badly then he must have been very important to this man. But then, if he was that important, why hadn't the man come to save him. Maybe he couldn't.
Naruto looked at Iruka who was crying and muttering 'I'm sorry' over and over again. Naruto sighed and crossed his arms. "Stop." Naruto ordered and Iruka stopped and looked at him, "From the information that you just told me, I obviously wanted them to find me, if not then they would still be looking for me. So, you have nothing to be sorry about. You did nothing wrong, it's not your fault I lost my memory. It's King Triton's fault. So stop your crying and apologizing." Naruto said smiling a soft smile at Iruka making Iruka feel calmer, as if Naruto's smile had erased every worry in him. "Now, if you don't mind, I would like to be alone."
"Yes, I'll come tomorrow to help you get ready for your tour with Sasuke." Iruka said bowing then leaving the room. Naruto turned back and looked at the ocean, but instead of seeing it as a peaceful place that had once made his feel save, it now made him feel hallow in side, like something was missing for a very long time and he just now noticed.
"Tsuke," Naruto said pulling the crab out of his pocket, "Is any of what Iruka said true?"
"Well, I-you see..." Tsuke rambled.
"Yes or no?" Naruto snapped, his eyes turning blood red and a powerful aura flew out of him.
"Yes!" Tsuke squeaked in fear, "We-well about the war, I have know idea if what he said about you is true. I wasn't there and I never heard the rumor." Naruto sighed before sitting Tsuke down on the railing.
"I see. Do me a favor." Naruto said.
"Ye-yes?" Tsuke asked.
"I'm still Sakura's servant, even though I can't be with her to do my job, so I want you to watch over her for me. I know she's still out there waiting to catch a glimpse of Sasuke. Would you take her home for the night so that Triton doesn't worry to much?" Naruto asked.
"What am I to tell him when he asks why she isn't talking." Tsuke asked.
"Tell him the truth." Naruto said and Tsuke looked at him like he was crazy, "Tell him she has lost her voice. It's the truth, she had lost it. Just don't tell him how she actually lost it. If he does ask how she lost it, say that the stress of everything caused her to loose it."
"You want me to lie to the King?" Tsuke asked in shock.
"Yes." Naruto said.
"But what if he finds out I lied to him?" Tsuke asked.
"He won't, not if you tell him exactly what I told you to tell him. Because the best lie has just enough truth in it that no one would suspect it to be a lie." Naruto said and Tsuke nodded nervously. "Don't worry, you won't get caught. I promise." Naruto said soothingly, a calming aura surrounded him and Tsuke calmed down, knowing that Naruto was right and everything will turn out the way is was suppose to.
"Alright." Tsuke said then carefully climbed off the balcony and made his way to the ocean where Sakura was hiding. Naruto watched as Tsuke convinced Sakura to leave for the night. He sighed and was about to turn to go to bed when he spotted Sasuke walking along the beach with Kakashi. Sasuke spotted him and waked with a smile. Naruto gave him a small wave and smile back before turning to go to bed.
How was he to get Sasuke to fall in love with him if he had no idea who he even was?
.:'':.
Tsuke had just managed to sneak Sakura back into the castle and and was leading her to her room when they bumped into King Triton. Sakura looked at him before quickly swimming to her room. King Triton sighed as he watched her leave before turning to look at Tsuke. "How is she?" He asked Tsuke who shook his head.
"Not good my lord. It seems she had lost her voice from the stress of everything. But don't worry, once everything has calmed down she will regain her voice." Tsuke said and Triton nodded before looking around noticing Naruto was not there.
"And what of Naruto?" Triton asked Tsuke looked around as if just noticing Naruto was not there and used that time to come up with a good excuse, using Naruto's tip.
"The last I saw of Naruto was after you destroyed Sakura's collection, he told me to watch Sakura and take her home. I assumed he just needed to collect himself and that he would meet us back here." Tsuke said.
"I see, if that is the case then he shall appear soon." Triton said as if trying to convince himself that that was true.
"Yes, I'm sure he will. Well, goodnight my lord. I have had a long day and need to rest." Tsuke said and left Triton in the hall.
.:TBC:.