Reviewers;
7th Demon Of Razgriz: I suppose he has, but look what it did! I got more reviews than last time, so obviously his trolling is a gift in disguise! (I think)
Ghost Poet: You are completely correct! Thank you for the great answer, you get an A-. - because he was trying to sail to...India! I've read spazzgirl, good writer, good Lemon writer, so I'm a bit offended, because I don't write oneshots, but my lemons are there in the stories...somewhere. I accept the reference so thank you, Ghost.
Kalel201125, and St3rfire: Thank you for the encouragements. It helps a lot.
Czar Joseph: Since we talked over the PM, enough said.
Guest: Yah! A nice guest! Thank you for the support. I'm glad I can appease you in my work.
Welding Man 0315: OHHHHH! Wrong! Columbus did not sail to Asia! Sorry, word play on that. Foul on the play! But glad you remembered the year.
Duh Bomb: Hmm...you wonder about a time skip? Well...yeah!
Akamutt: I can't really acknowledge him, really. He is too chicken to give his actual name for the site. He's just a coward sitting behind a computer screen, not willing to talk about it rationally.
Logan Locke: Logan...YES! You can not be a wolf in My Story! And who puts wolverines in a story? They freak me out! Without fear of magic you say...but what is the cost to give it up, huh? Mwahhahaha...I thought that after all of my stories, having a Naruto centered couple of chapters would help the situation on this one. I hope it works out having more than a few deep perspectives. And finally, you mention her condition...oh how it is so hard to write about Sakura's condition, which we all know! but that Naruto has to not think about or else he gets chest pains. Finally, I thought that Naruto spilling his own blood in a vow was much better than a smile and thumbs up like the usual Naruto. My Naruto is older, smarter...deadlier, or has anyone realized how he hasn't killed many 'people.' Plenty of Zetsu clones, and immortals...but not really others.
AN: SO...just yesterday, I found out an acquaintance of mine is a NH and SS fan, but can see my side of things. They actually have souls?! Sorry, bad idea. Forgot I wrote that. I'm too stoked to backspace it though. Anyways, I think it great that I tell you all that I'm going to shorten the reviews responses, and your own responses are to lengthen your reviews so that I respond to them! great idea! Add More time to responding for me?! Alright, I got them done. So...let us see what time has to offer shall we? PS: I may in the future place these things into ARCS. You have been warned.
AN2: Also, the Answer to last chapter's question = Columbus is not sail to Aisa! He sailed to the America's on a planned trip to India, hence the first name of Indians in America.
Fire & Ice
Arc 1: Conceal It
Chapter 9: The Dangers of Fire
(Time skip one year later)
Time is such a factor for some people. Everything that is done is based off a clock of some kind. It could be the rotations of the lunar cycle, it could be the calendar days in the year, and it could be the time that the sun was in the sky. In fact, people look to time and wonder why it does not stop. It does not stop because it is the equilibrium between Ice and Fire, between the freezing of time, and the burning end of time. It is the center of which brings us to now, reading the story about a young teenage princess who has now had some time to master her growing powers and it is now at the time that we read back into her ever evolving story.
The sun was already up high in the sky above the city-nation that was Port Haruno. Another cold season has arrived and fled, and for the city, all was abundant as the harvest had once again been good to them and they were excelling in their trading as they had always done with the other city states of the land and sea.
Everything was as it was supposed to be, the merchants were unloading the ships, the guards were patrolling the streets, and inside the castle, in the throne room, the King and Queen sat upon their great thrones, listening to the people who asked them for help.
This was a common occurrence in the castle, as it had been for a hundred years, and when not at war, the King and Queen sat here to comfort their citizens and listen to their pleas. And it was also where the ambassadors tried their hands at trade agreements and diplomacy. But for some, it was their time to try to pull a fast one on the ever powerful royal family.
"…And so you see, we of the East Mistian Trading Company would like for you to sign with us." The ambassador finished and bowed to the royals who squinted their eyes at him.
"…From what I can read here, you are proposing that your ships would not use just our ports, but five others." Yuki Haruno spoke with a slight boredom, for thinking that this slippery ambassador was even worth their time.
"Yes, trade must flow freely in that way."
"And where do the taxes go in?"
"Ah! But that's the beauty of it!" The ambassadors pointed towards, hoping to make a economic union between these cities through his trading company alone. "No Taxes at all! The trade will flourish and prosper between all of these great lands."
"You mean to say that the city itself will not get anything from this deal?" Yuki spoke in a calmer voice, but one that made the ambassadors in the room shiver involuntarily, and thank themselves that they were not the ambassadors offering this proposal.
"Well…um-"
"As you well know, ambassador, Port Haruno already has the lowest of the cities in taxes for importing into our lands, but we still insist upon providing for the free schooling, orphanages, food stipends, and many other things in our ports, AND in these other ports already."
"But that's absurd, Her Ladyship! If they can't trade to make a profit, then it's their loss!"
"There is a difference between two people trading and taking care of two cities. I am sorry, but we will not sign your treaty."
The ambassador growled a bit, but calmed himself and bowed low in surrender. His order would not approve of his failure. As he walked off, a rather handsome citizen walked up and bowed low to his King and Queen.
"It is truly an honor to see you before me, My King, My Queen," The commoner spoke before bowing lower. "….My Lady Sakura."
At the name, the older royal family and most guards turned to look towards Yuki's right, where a young teenager of now sixteen stood in a white and red royal gown, looking away in embarrassment for a now year long missing confidence, now very soft spoken and less brash than she once was. Sakura's hair was no longer in her braid, but now moved to the middle of her back, made to roll like cascading waves along the way.
At her name, Sakura slowly turned and nodded politely to the young son of a merchant, before looking away again. The only thing to have become darker was Sakura's apparent personality. She did not smile much anymore, except when her parents comforted her, or her wolf demanded attention.
"Sakura?" Yuki smiled comfortably and her daughter sighed depressed at the unnecessary action she now had to do before she smiled for the merchant and walked down the steps slowly and with refined grace before lifting her sealed gloved hand up to his lips where he honorably kissed it. Sakura retracted it and walked back up the stairs and over to the hidden area where a royal was not seen but could still hear everything.
As Sakura reached the area, she turned and sighed, knowing how depressed she was lately. But now that spring was here, she could return to that place, and that cheered her up a bit.
"Sakura?" A girl of sixteen asked beside her, even more buxom and curvy than as of a year ago. Sakura sighed and turned to her retainer Ino.
"Yes?"
"You feeling alright? You're spacing off more so than usual."
"It's just…" Sakura sighed again and shook her head towards her mother. Yuki was smiling and listening intently to the merchant's request, her eyes showing that she remained focused as her daughter stared into those green eyes that were duller than her own. "She can do this so well, but I hate being cooped up and listening to others' requests."
"You know…I have a request." Ino whispered before Sakura's eyes widened in rage. "I wanted to ask if-"
"Don't Ino!" Sakura whispered, the malice apparent in her voice, knowing that she would have to keep her act up and not let her retainer use her depression against her. "You've asked me all year. Let it go."
"You know I can't!" Ino whispered back with a smaller smile, but smiled brighter as she was still visible to the royal court from her position on the steps.
"One of these days Ino, you'll wake up and realize that I had to do what I had to do."
"Then what? We'll be best friends again like old times?"
"...We were never best friends." Sakura choked a bit, her depression more real than she would ever let on. She was barely sleeping as it was. This couldn't affect her life anymore.
"We were. You visited my home many times and I visited yours. Now, I live under your care. You are still my friend." Ino spoke as a lone tear trailed down her left cheek, Sakura's eyes staring as it fell.
"…I don't need friends." Sakura whispered back, as more tears fell as Ino heard Sakura's remarked, but for Sakura's face, there was not a tear in sight. Sakura rarely cried now. She saved it for special places and occasions. Sakura looked down at her gloves. Her third set. Just three more to go, and then she could tackle that passive magic of hers, and find out how to master it as well.
"…Well, I'm still here for you. Don't you trust me?"
Sakura looked away, as a memory surfaced of Ino's betraying her. "Not after you closed the gates on me."
"You were going to abandon your people to live alone in the mountains. It's my duty now to protect the throne. Your future throne, Sakura."
"...Maybe I don't want it."
"Says the princess who built another orphanage instead of getting a personal treasure trove of presents for her birthday."
Sakura blushed and looked away, but Ino knew that she had won. Sakura had tried to run away a few months after Naruto had left, after another incident occurred in the ballroom. It was like the walls were burned black or something, and as if huge lances in the shape of spikes had been impeded in the walls. Ino still didn't know what Sakura had to do with it, but Sakura had Something in connection with that, and one of these days, Ino was going to find out.
An hour passed and after the merchant had finished his proposal and left the hall, the King held up his hand and everyone filed out of the room. It was still early in the afternoon, but the hand was a signal for the end of the serving of the people, and unlike many other royals, the Haruno royalty dedicated more than an hour to this.
"Sakura?" Her father, Maki Haruno called out to her and Sakura stepped out from behind the safety of the pillar, seen by the retreating court of officials and held her chin down as she stepped within a few inches of her father's chest, under her father's gaze. Sakura felt her father's hand pull her chin up and smiled at her as he rubbed her cheek.
"I'm proud of you."
"But I could barely pay attention and smile to others, Father."
"Most royals hate this, but it is necessary to keep the people on our side. And your smile is said to make the whole city happy."
"That's just a rumor." Sakura complained and rushed to hide the glowing blush moving up her neck to her cheeks, but to no avail.
"Now Maki, the rumor is that our daughter is the most beautiful in red."
"Mother, that's you." Sakura blushed harder, loving these moments of flattery with her parents. They were all she had after all. Sakura looked to her father with the look that all daughters could give their fathers when they wanted something.
Maki sighed but smiled as he rolled his eyes. "Go on."
Sakura smiled and ran off to her room, changing quickly into more rugged looking attire and brought her hair back into a ponytail and finally put her boots back on. Those heels killed her feet! How her mother ever wore them, she'd never know.
Sakura ran off down the castle hallways, pausing to walk gracefully when she was passing people who smiled at her. Most were servants as she liked using the secret passageways, thanks to someone dear to her heart, and she quickly arrived inside the stables where a stable boy soon turned to her.
"The usual, My Lady?" He asked.
"Yes." Sakura breathed lightly, not as tired as she used to be. She had been physically training her body, out of sight of her parents. But she needed some place to practice and she was headed there now.
"Here you are, My Lady." The stable boy spoke and Sakura smiled and pet her horse. "You ready boy?" The horse shook its mane, and Sakura quickly got up, a rarity among female royals and nobles and trotted over to the gate's entrance. Just as the city gate's opened, a bark sounded and Sakura looked down to see her wolf, Tanya walking up to her.
"You ready to run, girl?" Sakura asked as her now one year old wolf licked its chops and nodded. Sakura kicked into the horse and the three of them sped off outside the city and into the forests outside Port Haruno.
Sakura yelled and giggled loudly as she was finally free of anything and everything that the city had to offer. She had begun to do this not long after Naruto was exiled, but now unlike the first two months, no guards followed her around the forest, as far as they knew, she just rode through so that Tanya could hunt.
Sakura looked to her wolf and smiled happily. Tanya was the best trained wolf in all of Port Haruno. There were a number of wolves, but they were bred with dogs and so were very tame. Tanya however was strong and extremely smart. She had defended Sakura from a kidnapping attempt and her father had even hugged her wolf when her snow colored fur was covered in the dried blood of the attackers.
A pang hurt Sakura as she exited the forest and moved in the canyons, heading for her destination. She shouldn't blame Ino for any of this. Sakura should have seen this coming, seen that Ino and Naruto would become great friends when she had shunned him.
Ino didn't even have her crush on Naruto anymore, as Sakura had seen her flirting again with many men, most of whom just stared at her generous bust and hoped to touch them. It was just that when Ino talked about Naruto, or even spoke his name, her magic reacted to it, as Sakura's own heart reacted and she had to hold her emotions and magic in check, so she came off as a sour person to Ino.
Add to those occasions to the fact that her confidence had left her the day Naruto had left her and she looked sad. Her heart clung to a life that was not around her and Sakura wanted to be anywhere besides the city, so she came here to her secret place. Sakura looked around and slowed as she turned the corner and trotted into the clearing where the Namikaze clan used to live.
That's right. Used to live. Sometime after Naruto had left, a great blue flash, like lightning had hit the valley and suddenly, the sealing family was gone. No houses, no tents, no sign of them ever having existed on earth. Except these two seals on the canyon walls, faded, but still keeping others oblivious of this clearing.
Sakura got off her horse as it rushed off to graze and her wolf moved to rub against her as Sakura smiled a bit and rubbed her gloved hands over Tanya's belly and soft fur. Then Tanya moved to take a nap as Sakura began her training. Training in this place that was magically isolated from the rest of the world.
Sakura closed her eyes, letting her magic seep out of her body until a good amount was lying at her feet, like a carpet of dangerous snakes, but more tranquil than that. Sakura looked to the waterfall and rose her hands as she stepped into the pond, or rather, onto the pond.
As she took her steps, ice formed on the calm surface just above the water, as if in the air between her feet and the water, and that ice spread out until the surface three feet around her was frozen completely. Sakura smiled at that and looked back to the waterfall.
Her hands had been moving up and down, and as they did, the falling water froze in place, rising up and down in the air, stopping the current completely. Sakura breathed out, and her magic turned yellow with fire and the ice melted and the waterfall came back with a vengeance. It fell down towards the pond, before it was frozen again and melted.
Time passed and Sakura continued her battle with the ever growing amount of water coming down towards her. This was her way of training, to use more and more until she could keep it up no longer and finally, Sakura melted it one last time, and the waterfall crashed on the frozen waters, breaking it apart and sending the wave out of the pond.
Sakura smiled as her feet and waist dropped into the three feet of water, but then heard a whine and turned to see her wolf looking at her from the shoreline, her fur soaked and shivering. "OH! Sorry, Tanya." Sakura giggled and let a gentle heat glow around Tanya's fur and soon the fur was back to normal.
Sakura looked as the water was at her hip and sighed as she took off her corset, moving to be topless in the water as she leaned against a set of rocks near the middle of the pond, and laid across them, as the water floated her breasts above the water and sighed happily. If she could, she'd live here, and nothing would ever bother her...but she couldn't.
Sakura was a Haruno, and that meant that the people needed her. She had a city of thirty thousand citizens to protect, and six thousand soldiers, not including the knights, added to that with militarily, but also politically. So Sakura would stay here another hour, washing off the sweat on her body and then head back, for her life was only temporary and she had other things to practice besides just her magic.
Two hours later, Sakura trotted back inside the village gates and moved through the village as the sun was setting. The citizens waved to her and she made the effort to wave back as she moved towards the castle. Okay, so she had stayed in her own place for another hour, so what? It wasn't like she missed anything.
Sakura soon arrived at the stables and after leaving her horse with the stable boy, made her way towards her room, with Tanya at her heels. That's right! Sakura thought as she turned to look at Tanya who stared at her before licking her chops again. Sakura sighed and they moved to the kitchens where the royals were not 'supposed' to enter, and grabbed a large slice of meat for Tanya who laid down to play with her food as she always did and Sakura moved by herself around the castle until she had reached her retainer's room.
"I'm here." Sakura exclaimed as she walked in, and a squeak was heard as Sakura looked to see her friend having her daily bathe in her room.
"S-Sakura, what are you doing here this late?" Ino asked as she grabbed a towel and got out, Sakura admiring her friend's blemish free body, unlike Sakura who had a birthmark that looked like a circle, like all Haruno had, but hers was on the inside of her thigh.
"We're studying, aren't we?"
"That was like, an hour ago!" Ino yelled at her, huffing angrily. She loved her bathing ritual and now she was frustrated.
"Well, I had other things to do."
"Yeah, well, the city doesn't revolve around you!" Ino sneered and Sakura held in her own anger, but couldn't hold back her tongue.
"Actually, It Does!"
"OH! Well then excuse me, Your Highness." Ino spoke as she dropped the towel and walked back into her bath.
"Geez, you're so stupid Ino."
"Oh? Who's the one who got depressed after Naruto left?"
Sakura felt the warning sign of a snapping rubber band and held it in. "Ino, don't bring him up all the time!"
"Why? Because you hate him so bad?! No! Because unlike you, I actually care for him."
"I do care for him." Sakura spoke as she stepped up to her friend's bath.
"Oh yeah. Exile is caring so much."
"You!" Sakura exclaimed as she pointed at Ino, her anger getting the best of her. "You have no idea how much I hate myself for that."
"Then call him back!"
"I can't!"
"Then you don't deserve him." Ino spat, covering her face with a wet washcloth.
"And you do?!"
"Maybe I do. But at least I'd give him a chance with my body on the line." Ino spoke cheekily, taking off the towel and throwing it at Sakura's face, to which she shook with rage.
"Take that back!"
"Make me!" Ino yelled back and suddenly Sakura felt her magic shoot up and it was only thanks to Sakura's quick trained reactions that she lowered her hand from pointing at Ino's face, before fire shot like a laser into the bath.
"AHHHH!" Ino screamed as the water boiled and she was burning under the water. Sakura quickly sent in some ice magic and the water cooled as Ino now shivered at the cold water. Sakura looked at Ino warily before she looked at the water and held back a sob and helped Ino out of the water and over to her bed before she laid her down on her back.
Ino mumbled curses as her entire body was in a heated sunburn that had bubbled and dug into her skin, like the heat had moved to attack her bones. Sakura held in her emotions and her anger dissolved, replaced by worry, as she watched as Ino's eyes opened.
Upon seeing Sakura, Ino's eyes widened in fear and she moved to get up, and Sakura reached up and Ino screamed quietly as Sakura covered her mouth with the palm of her hand to quiet her. "Calm down, okay?" Ino shook her head and squirmed, only to curse and whimper at the pain racking her body. Sakura let go, and Ino didn't move.
"Sakura…." Ino wheezed. The boiling water must have attacked her voice as well as it was raspy and quieter. "I need a doctor."
"No…."
"P-please….I don't want to die." Ino grew hysterical, her eyes in full blown tears as her body failed to respond to her wishes.
"You won't!" Sakura exclaimed and caressed her retainer's cheek before Ino mewled as Sakura's hands turned green, and looked away in embarrassment as Sakura began to touch her intimate parts and body, but widened her eyes and looked back as the pain and burns were slowly leaving her.
"S-Sakura….what are you?" Ino whispered and Sakura quietly giggled as she cried to look at Ino who had a listening look and tears fell down her face. Ino widened her eyes in realization. This was why Sakura had done everything.
"I don't know what I am Ino…..I just don't know." Sakura cried as she held her friend close, her magic turning green over her body and healed Ino's body as the two friends cried into the other's arms.
AN: So, now Ino knows, but it took her being boiled and frozen. What else is next?
QUIZ TIME: Where do you think I got the idea for the 'East Mistian Trading Company?' Winners will get a nice congrats in the next chapter.