Last bit of chapter 5:
The narrowed eyes locked on a pirate high up the mast. Locked onto a shining object sticking out of his belt.
Trust Kakashi to have something so rare carried by a common member of the crew. His eyes narrowed further. He needed that object. He would get it.
He wouldn't let some blond idiot stop him.
xXxXxXx
Chapt-ah 6: Tem-ah-wok-ah begins! –thumbs up-
xXxXxXx
The tall, slender, black-haired boy tightened the laces of his boots.(1) He straightened and beckoned (2) to the blond who had no choice, really, but to be at his side . . . um, already. Beckoning just seemed called for, probably out of habit.
Naruto raised his eyebrows in question.
Sasuke had a plan, and he was trying to fit the dobe into this plan in such a way that it would still work. It proved to require much mental effort.
'Think you can manage not to fall?' he asked. His gaze was skeptical.
Naruto stood and scowled, saying 'Wh-'
But Sasuke leapt into the air, leaving Naruto no choice but to follow in close pursuit.
xXxXxXx
The black-haired boy seemed to dance – his feet touching wood, rope, netting, making contact for barely a second before propelling him on again – ever higher.
Naruto, much to his frustration, was barely managing to keep up.
Sasuke changed direction, overbalanced a pirate in his way – using only his fingertips and with a smirk playing across his lips – and pulled on the chain to give the blond something to support himself on before Naruto tripped in his landing on the secondary mast.
Naruto made a face. Damnit, the guy knew I was going to fall! Interfering teme! What's he planning?
The black-haired boy jumped again. Naruto jumped half a heart-beat later – not only was he determined not to fall, he was going to keep up, he was going to beat this perfect, bloody know-it-all.
The blond swung round the edge of a sail and saw Sasuke's eyes locked onto a pirate. He felt a momentary pang of jealousy – of all things – and almost tripped.
The pirate must have watched their progression up the mast, because he turned to run. Sasuke was just a little too collected for some people.
'Dobe! To the left!'
Naruto stared. Sasuke wanted him to run past the pirate? Why?
'Baka!' the black-haired boy shouted. Sasuke leapt around the mast between him and the pirate, streaming past Naruto, chain in hand and landed on the wood again. Naruto's eyes followed the chain – it was wrapped around the large trunk, and around the pirate who'd attempted to escape. The man's back and arms were pressed against the wood.
Naruto heard a chuckle from the deck and looked down at Kakashi. Why was that funny? We have one of his pirates . . .
By the time he looked up again, Sasuke was making a grab for a shining object sticking out of the pirate's belt. As he pulled it back Naruto's eyes widened.
A gun?! Sugoi!
He had never seen Sasuke look so smug. The black-haired boy's eyes fell to the captain. He lifted one dark slender eyebrow, and muttered, 'Together, hey?'
He cocked the gun, pointed it at the chain and pulled the trigger.
Naruto was not entirely sure of what happened immediately after that. It all happened very quickly.
It looked as if Sasuke dropped the gun to dodge the bullet that shot out of the chain, but he had shot the chain?
It sounded as if wood was cracking, but the only wood around them was the secondary mast.
Shit.
The colossal trunk split precisely where the chain was wrapped around it. By the time the blond realized it was falling toward him, Sasuke had already jumped around the trunk and freed the pirate and pushed Naruto out of the way.
Then the world went haywire. As the mast fell, it pulled ropes, sails, smaller beams of wood in its wake. Everything they landed on in their continual scramble for sure footing fell out from underneath them and they realized they were heading for the deck again and there was nothing to do but work out how to brace the fall.
Everything was happening too fast . . . too fast to do anything-
Naruto landed on something soft. It smelled faintly of leather, and . . . mint? The blond blinked. Sasuke's dark eyes were looking straight at him.
Sasuke pushed him off and sat up stiffly. He scowled, swore and grabbed his own shoulder.
xXxXxXx
Bloody chain. Bloody stupid gun. Bloody fucking Kakashi. Bloody crappy teamwork. He looked down. Bloody deck.
'Why did you do that?'
Sasuke glared at the blond.
Stupid Naruto.
'Did what?'
Naruto looked awkward for a moment, then mumbled, 'Never mind.'
Sasuke was pissed. He'd never been so sore in his life. It was not surprising, since he had never fallen so far in his life. Nor had he ever felt the urge to brace the fall of someone who must eat lots and lots of noodles. Or rocks. That's what it felt like anyway. 'Why did you not listen to me?' he asked in as level a voice as he could manage.
'Why didn't you tell me your plan?'
'He was getting away in front of your eyes!'
'Exactly! I thought that was the idea – we're trying to go UP! Not after pirates, you homicidal maniac!'
Sasuke felt his anger drain.
Naruto paused, eventually asking, 'Why are you smirking?'
Sasuke continued to smirk. The dobe was very cute when he was angry.
The blond's cheeks were flushed, his eyes were shining in anger and indignation, he was panting. His fists were clenched at his sides. Sasuke shook his head, 'Sorry, did you say something?'
Naruto growled.
Sasuke noted that a strange urge leapt into his head. He wanted to jump the boy. It didn't worry him, he could definitely control it.
His scowl swung into place when he heard a footfall to his left. He looked up at Kakashi murderously.
The magic he'd tried on the chain was miniscule.Sasuke hadn't wanted anyone to be able to notice him doing it. But to stop a bullet! Sasuke had sensed magic from the man, but this meant he must be trained in it! How is it possible?
Was the information incorrect?
Hatake Kakashi hadn't always been a pirate – in fact, he had once headed up the Uchiren Army, leading them to many great victories before disappearing in a battle in Kuhkuy. The court thought him dead, until he reappeared years later as a sky pirate. Since then, he had given both empires much grief.
What bothered Sasuke was that no one in the Uchiren court had ever trained the man in magic – he was the son of a minor lord and had followed his father's footsteps into the army, rising faster than any soldier on record.
Where had the man had received the training in magic to affect this chain to such a degree?
It was illegal to train outside the Uchiren court.
The young Uchiha made a face. Well, the man was a sky pirate after all – Sasuke was not naïve enough to expect people all over the empire to have proper respect for their rulers.
The captain raised an eyebrow. 'I did say you can't work alone. I don't lie.'
Sasuke sighed.
xXxXxXx
A boy with long dark hair stared down from the crow's nest impassively. His eyes hinted at softness, but were hidden as he raised a mask over his face. He jumped to the platform just below, sweeping his hair into a bun with one hand as he did so.
x
- flash-ah-back-ah -
'You're looking for him, aren't you?'
The boy's head shot up. His eyes dilated. He kept his breathing level – with much effort. He knew that showing his reasons for joining Kakashi's crew would be dangerous – no one should know who he was. The boy had been so careful.
Yet the captain had found out.
The boy looked at the picture in Kakashi's hand. He didn't look at the captain. He had to decide what to do. But his eyes moved over the man shown in the image.
Without thinking, he whispered, 'Yes. What do you want?'
He looked up then, expecting to see smugness or greed in Kakashi's face. If the captain knew who he looked for, he had to know who the boy was, and how he could use him.
But Kakashi's face was as impassive as ever. 'Tomorrow,' the silver-haired man said, 'two boys will be told to get to the top of the mast. I want to see how difficult you can make it for them. I want to see how far you can push them. Stop them reaching it and I'll give you his location.'
The boy's breath caught. He nodded.
x
The dark-haired boy landed and turned to a silent shape leaning against the mast. 'Kiba, I can do this one alone, if you don't mind.' His voice was peculiarly delicate.
Kiba shrugged, 'Whatever suits you, Haku.'
xXxXxXx
(1) all right – so we know Sasuke's wearing the boots – we've now given you the amazing, wonderful option of seeing the entire chapter in sexy vision – all you have to do is imagine him in these boots for the rest of the piece
big pirate – (pokes little pirate) – 'stop daydreaming'
little pirate – 'hm? Sasuke . . .' (drooling)
(2) 'e beckoned suggesteevely, of course – dare we sey seducteevely . . .(3)
(3) wee 'av decided to make zee footnote of today in an ootrageous franch accccent :) (4)
(4) wee appolooogise to al zee reel franch people oot zere 'oo sans doot, woold like to muurderr us now . . . (vive la france!)
big pirate – 'mmmm…. Chocolately easter . . . can't move . . . argh . . .'
little pirate: 'are you all right?' (bouncing and hyper from choc. overdose)
big pirate: 'digest, damnit! Digest! damn you!'
little pirate: 'most ppl say that talking to your self is not a sign of sanity. What on earth does talking to your stomach mean?'
big pirate: 'digest!' (attempts a swish-and-flick motion with a pencil)
little pirate: 'that's not a wand, my dear. As much as you'd like it to be.'
big pirate: - glare – (swishes-and-flicks again)
little pirate: 'besides – would've been a crap thing for olivander (HP) to give you – out of my entire store, young child, you get – da da da (wind blows through the shop) a PENCIL' (dramatic pose)
big pirate: - scowls – (a Sasuke scowl)
little pirate: - (tries to counter w her own Sasuke-scowl, but it dissolves into hyper giggling . . .) (little pirate squeals 'I'm jango!' And bounces away)
passers-by give them odd looks, and big pirate attempts to move away (roll away), saying 'argh . . . chocolate . . .'
Happy Easter everyone to who likes/does the easter thing . . . and to everyone who likes any form of chocolate – godly chocolate . . .
Little pirate squeals in happiness
Reviews! Merci! S'il vous plait! Nous les aimons beaucoups!
Next chapter:
Chapter 7: His reasons . . . ! Special People . . . ? Why do they fight?!