As the week went by, our friends dropped by to visit us. For the most part, it was to leave a few birthday presents for me (mostly birthday cards) and just to congratulate us for our A-rank mission. It was from there that they became acquainted with Haku, who never seemed to be too far from my side—for some reason.
It was love at first sight for Ino, who had an eye for pretty things. She was gushing over how beautiful Haku was, asking him about which products he used for his hair and skin. This was before she found out Haku was male and needed a good half hour to come to terms over how much of a pretty boy Haku was. Not too long ago, Ino had been mourning over the loss of my hair—which was certainly a better reaction than having Shikamaru stare at me for nearly ten minutes before asking me what happened. Sometimes, Chōji sucks, because he leaves the explaining to me instead of doing it himself.
Thankfully, Chōji changed the subject by asking about Naruto's fox kits and let me tell you how that went… All I'm going to say is that Naruto has some freaking Mae Hughes vibes coming off of him in regards to those foxes. He is just so damned proud of those little kits and I'm just wondering what Kurama even thinks of the entire situation involving the kits.
Speaking of Kurama, I'm sort of wary of him right now, considering what happened when Naruto had thought Sasuke had died… Oh god, I don't even want to remember how Naruto was when that had happened… It was terrifying seeing Naruto go into his initial jinchuuriki form after giving into his anger.
There is seriously something wrong with just seeing someone as kind as Naruto, lose himself like that…and it sure as hell didn't help that I was pulling out senbon from Sasuke's neck as that happened. Uuugh, I could practically feel the rage emanating from Naruto's body…it was sickening.
I'm really glad that's over and I am totally not looking forward to the future, if my memory serves me well about Naruto and his jinchuuriki forms… Ugh, if recall correctly, Sakura had to heal Naruto majorly after going into one of his forms. Welp, looks like Sasuke has his work cut out for him in the future—wait, how the hell is this going to even work?! Oh god, I might as well just focus on now, instead of the future if it's that complicated…bluh.
Anyways, that was the Team 10 reaction to the current additions to Naruto's house, not including Zabuza, who was currently with Kakashi, doing a lot of paperwork (so much paperwork…). Sucks to be him, but I consider that karma for my hair! Though, one thing that struck me odd was how suspicious Shikamaru was around Haku, who was acting like a total sweetheart the entire time. Then again, Haku was someone who had nearly killed Sasuke, so there is that…
Still, it was rather perplexing to hear Shikamaru tell me, "There's something troublesome about Haku…please be careful."
I had not been expecting that… But since Shikamaru was more perceptive than he appeared, I decided not to completely ignore his words. I mean, I'm still having trouble seeing how 'troublesome' Haku is, but Shikamaru does have a point in us keeping our guard up around the boy. There was still much to learn about Haku and the fact that he had been raised by Zabuza was something that shouldn't be overlooked.
Though, upon seeing Haku's reaction to having Kiba hit on him, it made me think twice. Nice to see I've already lost one of my friends to puberty… I don't even think any of us had the heart to tell Kiba that Haku was male—not even Haku, himself…or it could be that Haku was being a troll. Haku did like to keep up his female façade as long as he could before revealing the actual truth.
Meanwhile with Hinata, Naruto was catching up with her and started off their conversation with him handing her a black pearl ring, saying he thought she would have liked it. It was the very same ring that he and Sasuke had been fighting over back at Gatou's base. Sasuke looked a bit miffed, but decided to let it be since Hinata seemed to like it well enough.
As for Shino, he was rather quiet until Naruto handed him a sealing scroll. When Shino asked what it was, Naruto just said to open it up and when Shino did, he was pleasantly surprised to find a couple of beetles inside a small container and a rather pretty orchid.
"I thought you might have wanted to add more to your compound-ttebayo." Naruto grinned as he rubbed the back if his head. "And when we were coming back from the Land of Waves, I saw some beetles and thought of you, so…"
"Thank you very much, Naruto-kun." Shino was certainly grateful.
"Hey, where's my present?!" And Kiba was very much jealous.
Bark!
As was Akamaru, so Naruto ended up buying the two something food-related. When in doubt, food always seemed to appease Kiba and his partner, Akamaru. Speaking of Akamaru, he seemed rather friendly around the fox kits, which was a good thing.
It had been a good week, so far… It certainly gave us enough time to recover from our mission in Wave. Though, just as we were getting rather comfortable in Konoha, Kakashi decided to drop by one morning to tell us we were leaving tomorrow for Kirigakure. Talk about timing…
"Yeah, it's too early for this shit…" Sasuke said as he got up from the dining table. "If any of you guys need me, I'll be in my room, sleeping."
I just stayed in my seat, blinking a few times, wondering if I had everything ready for the trip. When I asked Naruto, who was in the middle of feeding a fox kit, he seemed calmed at first…then he exclaimed, "Shit!"
If Sasuke were here, he would have smacked Naruto upside the head for that, but he was already in his room, probably asleep. As soon as Naruto had finished feeding the fox kit, he place the little kit back in the basket with the others, picked the basket up, and ran upstairs, leaving me alone with Haku. I looked at the bowls and plates Naruto and Sasuke left behind and sighed.
"Help me out, Haku?" I really don't like washing dishes, but it was something that needed to be done.
"Sure!" Haku replied. "Say, do you want to go shopping with me? I saw this kimono the other day and thought you might like it."
Normally, I'd pass something like that down, because of how fucking expensive kimono were (I'd rather let my mother handle stuff like that). However, since we returned from Wave, money had become anything but a problem. So one little kimono couldn't hurt and considering my current kimono wasn't exactly up to my standards in aesthetics, for the exact reason I have nicknamed it the Saionji kimono (it was orange, with tiny cat face prints on the green obi—I have never been so glad to have not been born a blonde)… I was good with finding a replacement.
Of course, when we got there, the focus quickly switched from me to Haku after I found out that there weren't many good kimono in my size (or rather, any that had caught my eye). Meanwhile with Haku, there were so many beautiful kimono in his size that it was almost annoying…almost. My annoyance quickly waned when Haku started trying on the various kimono that I had picked out for him.
Haku had been meaning to buy me a kimono, but instead, I had bought him one, instead. Rather ironic, don't you think? I quite enjoyed it, though…then Haku decided to repay the favor by buying me a dress in the shop right next to the one we had finished exiting. This time, it was much easier to find something that caught my eye and when Haku held out a blue, sleeveless dress for me to try on, I was ecstatic.
The skirt went just below my knees and when I spun around, it twirled with me. I like these types of dresses… I still prefer wearing shorts and pants, though, but I could make do without for just a bit when it comes to wearing pretty dresses—especially if they're blue! I just like blue, okay?
"Hey, Chōko-san, come out!" Haku called out for me while I was in the dressing room. "You need to look at this!"
Upon exiting the dressing room, I found myself looking directly at a white pinafore Haku was holding out to me. He was smiling.
"This dress comes with a cute apron!" he said as he walked over to me. "Let me put it on for you!"
And he did. Right after he tied the back of the pinafore for me, I looked at myself in the mirror that had been propped on the wall inside the dressing room I was in, might have smiled a bit and resisted the urge to say something that might have embarrassed myself in front of Haku. I looked good…yeah.
I might have not been able to replace the Saionji kimono, but this dress certainly makes up for it and—goddammit, never mind. I just realized why this dress looks so familiar to me.
The name Viola definitely rings a bell…of course, it doesn't look exactly like her dress, but the pinafore and color of the dress certainly does it. Then again, I'm also getting an Alice Liddell vibe. Thinking of it now, one could say that Viola was an Alice—based on appearance only. That is something I never thought of before…still glad I'm not blonde.
"You look nice!" Haku said before walking over to the young lady running the register at the counter. "Excuse me? I would like to buy that dress over there for my friend."
And that is how I became the owner of a brand-new dress. I kept wearing it all the way back to Naruto's house, where Haku and I entered to see Kakashi and Zabuza conversing with each other in the living room. Kakashi was honestly stunned to see me in a dress and I wouldn't blame him. It's been a good long while since I last wore a dress.
Meanwhile with Zabuza, he just stared at me for a minute before turning looking at Haku and nodding his head. Then Kakashi smacked the missing-nin behind the head and that was our cue to leave the living room. We went upstairs to start packing or rather, Haku did. I was just making sure I had everything I wanted to take on me.
Tomorrow, we would be leaving sometime in the late afternoon to evening. Darkness was going to be our key ally in reaching the Land of Fire's harbor without anyone detecting Zabuza and Haku. It was going to take a couple of days to reach the port, and from there, it would take at least a week to get to Kirigakure by boat. I was not going to like this…I could barely handle a few hours—how the hell was I going to last a week?!
It could be even longer, depending on how the weather was. Just knowing that made me consider my options for entertainment, because there really isn't much to do on a boat. So I stored my koto in a sealing scroll. It was a completely different koto from the one I had used when I was much younger, no longer being as small as I had been to warrant a need for modifications for playing convenience. Prior to graduating from the Academy, I would play my koto while our friends were around to pass the time.
Good times…
Speaking of which, I did just finish buying Haku a kimono, of which I picked purposely for a reason… I even bought him a yellow hairpin to go with the kimono. Hmm…I could try that.
…
"Haku!" I called out to the androgynous-looking boy as I ran out of my room (as much of a room I can ever call it mine in this house). "Let me into your room!"
I don't know why, but Kakashi ended up shouting, "Keep the door open when you do!"
The fuck, man?!
…
…
Come the next day, it was sometime in the afternoon that I left Naruto's house to go say goodbye to my mother and Chōji, assuming he was home. I had everything packed, but…it didn't hurt to have Mama look it over and get a hug from her. I'm not as nervous as last time, but I still like having some reassurance before I leave.
Chōji was home when I arrived at the Akimichi compound, as was Chōza. My entire family was there to see me off and it just made me feel warm inside. I could do this…I had nothing to worry about, even though we were leaving for Kirigakure. Kirigakure…none of us have ever been there before, except for Zabuza, Haku, and, possibly, Kakashi.
I mean, with Haku, Zabuza, and Kakashi on our sides, it shouldn't be that dangerous of a trip. That's what made it a C-rank—we were mostly just escorts to people who could very much defend themselves. It was just a standard procedure in order to ensure these two reached their destination and receive their pardon from the Mizukage. Other than that, it wasn't that difficult of a mission.
I left home shortly afterwards, feeling rather confident, unlike last time. I made my way over to the gate we were taking out of the village and saw that Kakashi was missing out of our group. He was probably paying the Memorial Stone a visit, as usual. Typical of Kakashi to do, I just hope he doesn't take too long.
Naruto was in the middle of feeding one of his kits, with Sasuke taking the time to summon Hanī for some assistance. Zabuza was looking rather disgruntled in his civilian disguise, while Haku was busy looking over the bouquet of white carnations he most likely had bought from Yamanaka Flowers.
Upon talking to Haku and asking about the flowers, I found out that he did buy the carnations from Yamanaka Flowers.
"I heard about Yamanaka Flowers through Ino-san and decided to check it out for myself on our way here," Haku explained. "When I saw these flowers, I couldn't help but buy some…do you want one?"
I blinked as Haku held out a white carnation in front of me. "Hmm…okay!"
Haku smiled and ended up placing the carnation where by ribbon was tied, making it seem as though the green ribbon were its leaves. Haku patted me on the head right after that, saying I looked nice. Haku sure knew how to make someone feel good…
"I meant what I said!" Haku remarked, almost as if he was quoting someone… "Like a certain someone!"
Ah, so that's where—I'll just leave you be and go help Naruto out with the foxes. "Hey, Naruto—do you have an extra bottle?"
"I was waiting for you to ask-ttebayo!" Naruto replied. "It's in my backpack."
By now, the foxes were starting to show some color, though Yuu was the only one who lacked any type of coloring aside from white, being albino and all. She (she was female, as we found out) was also the only one with a name. Naruto decided to wait until the kits were showing more color in their coat before giving them names. I thought it was a good idea.
While Naruto and I fed the kits (with some help from Hanī), Sasuke was taking the time to get acquainted with three-week-old Miriku, at Hanī's request. I might have seem him touching the puppy's paw a few times when he thought no one was looking…the dork. Naruto sure as hell did and wasn't exactly subtle about making it clear that he had seen Sasuke do.
"Hn…" was all Sasuke had said as he tried to seem uninterested, but seemed rather amused when Miriku started nibbling on his hand. I could tell he was going to get along with Miriku rather well, unlike with Pakkun, which I still find hilarious.
About two hours had passed before Kakashi finally showed up, making his usual excuse as always. Of course, there was still some truth to his excuse in regards to making sure the house was secure and he had even put in a couple of requests for house management while we were gone.
"It shouldn't be too difficult of a D-rank mission," Kakashi said as he reached down to ruffle my hair, which I was prepared for…only to realize his hand never touched my hair. "What…is that?"
I blinked a few times before realizing Kakashi was referring to the carnation in my hair. "It's a carnation—Haku gave to me."
"Haku…gave it to you…?" Kakashi stared at me for a moment before turning his attention to Haku, who just smiled innocently. "…"
"It's just a flower," Zabuza stated. "Haku bought 'em on our way here."
"Uh-huh…" Kakashi looked blankly at Zabuza. "Just a flower…"
"Want one?" Haku offered a white carnation to Kakashi. "There are plenty."
"No thank you…" Kakashi sounded rather annoyed. "Okay, we ought to get going, now—"
"Don't go!" a voice called out.
We all turned and saw a very familiar Hyuuga running towards us. It was Neji and he seemed to be in a hurry. He was certainly out of breath when he finally reached us.
"Don't…go…yet…" Neji huffed. "Chōko-san…!"
"What're you doing here?" I asked Neji. How did he even find out we were here? Before I could even ask another question, I found myself looking at a bouquet of sunflowers.
"For…you…" Neji was still trying to catch his breath. "I got them…for you—here!"
Neji handed the bouquet to me before reaching into his pocket to pull out a card. He handed that to me as well. When I opened the card up, I realized it was a birthday card—Neji had been meaning to give me a rather late birthday present.
"I know it's late, but I wasn't here and…I didn't know what you wanted, so I thought you might want some flowers…" Neji explained. "My team and I…we just came back from a C-rank mission today. I heard from Ino—are you really leaving for Kirigakure?"
"Yeah…we got another C-rank mission except it actually is a C-rank this time." Still not looking forward to the boat trip—nooope. "Not going to ask me about my hair?"
"Your hair—what happened to it?!" It looks like Neji just barely noticed.
I made a face as I gestured at Zabuza, who just said, "Yo."
Neji scowled at Zabuza, looking about ready to activate his Byakugan. "Who…are you?"
"Momochi Zabuza, missing-nin from Kirigakure," Zabuza answered. "The very reason these guys are leaving Konohagakure and I assume by those eyes of yours that you're a Hyuuga—am I correct?"
Neji didn't response, and just scowled at Zabuza. "…"
"Silent treatment, huh?" Zabuza seemed amused. "Look, we got off at a very bad start, but I'm hoping to change that. Haku, here, depends on it."
Neji blinked. "Haku…?"
"Hello, I'm Haku!" Haku said as he stepped forward, placing his hands on my shoulders. "You must be Hyuuga Neji-kun, a friend of Chōko-san, Naruto-kun, and Sasuke-kun! I've seen you with them in those pictures."
Haku had been referring to the photo album Naruto had shown him and Zabuza. Neji understood, but still appeared tense around Haku.
"I am indeed their friend…" Neji was trying to stay neutral, but annoyance soon crossed his expression. "And that's Hyuuga-san, to you."
"Oh…okay, Hyuuga-san!" Haku understood. "It's very nice to meet you!"
Neji clicked his tongue. "Likewise…"
At that moment, Naruto popped up in front of Neji and held up the basket he was carrying for the Hyuuga to see. "Hey, hey, look what I have-ttebayo!"
Neji blinked a few times. "What…are those?"
"Fox kits!" Naruto grinned widely. "I saved them while we were in Wave—I'm their parent now, dattebayo! Aren't they cute?"
"Quite…" Neji looked like he didn't know what to make of them. "How long will you be gone?"
"Depending on the weather, it'll take us at least a week to arrive at Kirigakure," Sasuke replied. "Though, according to the Sandaime, our C-rank mission will take us longer than that, so we're looking at an estimate of a few weeks to a month."
"We'll be back, though!" I tried to reassure Neji. "So don't worry—and thank you for the flowers, Neji-san!"
Neji turned his attention back on me and nodded. "You're welcome and…you can call me Neji, if you want. I won't mind…"
Oh, that's a first… "Okay, Neji! And remember what I told you—I'm fine with just Chōko."
"I know, Chōko-san…" Close enough…
"So can I call you, Chōko?" Haku suddenly asked me.
"I don't really mind honorifics, so shoot." Unless the situation calls for it, like say, a disguise of some sort or whatever, I don't mind.
"Very well…Chōko," Haku giggled.
"…" Neji's expression went blank upon hearing Haku say my name. A moment passed before Neji walked forward and pulled me away from Haku. "Chōko-san…just stay safe, okay?"
I blinked once and nodded my head. "Don't worry! Kakashi-sensei says he'll protect us with all his life."
"I did indeed say that and Haku, can you please refrain from touching my student?" Kakashi remarked. "Thank you for that, Neji-san."
"It's nothing…" Neji sighed. "So I guess…I'll be seeing you."
"It seems like it." Kinda sucks, when you think about it… "Hey, cheer up! We won't be gone for that long!"
"I know…just try not to lose any more hair." Oh haha—very funny, Neji!
I resisted the urge to snort and pulled out a sunflower from the bouquet. "Here's a flower for your sense of humor."
Without saying another word, Neji took the flower. He stared at it and nodded his head…then he blinked when Haku handed him a white carnation.
"A parting gift," Haku explained. "I hope we can get to know each other better when we return."
Neji just stared at Haku and said nothing.
"Maa, we should get going, now." Kakashi ran his hand through his hair. "Sorry, Neji-san—I'll make sure these three are completely free for you to visit us when we return."
"I'll keep that in mind…" Neji said.
Neji saw us off, never once leaving the gate until we were out of sight…I assumed. He seemed rather sad to see us go, but I guess I'd be sad if I heard a friend I wanted to meet up left the exact day I returned. Maybe I should treat him to some herring soba when I get back…or should I try making it…decisions, decisions.
…
The path we were taking to reach the Land of Fire's port was much different from the path to Wave from the exact moment we took a different turn in the road. Kakashi told us it was going to be a long night for all of us, as we weren't going to set up camp at all, during this trip. And he was right…it was a little unsettling to be traveling during the night, what with the lack of lighting of any kind.
Though, with so many people with us, it sure did take a load off my shoulders. I mean, safety in numbers and whatnot. Fuck you horror movie clichés! No one's splitting up under my watch!
As we were mostly traveling in darkness, it made it easier on Naruto when it came to the fox kits, as the kits registered darkness as a time to be asleep. We got a lot farther than we ever did traveling during the day. And thanks to Kakashi's great sense of direction, which was rather precise, we made it to an inn by the time the sun started to rise.
We rested up at the inn, staying only until the sun began to set before leaving. The switch from sleeping at night to day for this was a little jarring for me. It definitely threw us off…well, all of us, save for Kakashi, Zabuza, and Haku. They were quite used to these types of sleeping schedules based on experience.
Meanwhile with Sasuke, he looked about ready to kill anyone who provoked him and Naruto was his usual cheery self, very much occupied with the sleeping fox kits in the basket he carried. Eventually, Naruto is going to need to find an alternative once those kits outgrew the basket.
Also, Haku placed the carnation back in my hair, since I took it off last night to avoid it getting crushed while I was asleep. Yamanaka Flowers cut flowers lasted for quite a while before they started to wither, so that was a definite plus. It certainly made it easier for me to store the sunflowers Neji had given me into a sealing scroll. I'm hoping these flowers last long enough for me to put them in a vase of water when we get back in Konoha…hopefully.
Otherwise, they could make a great distraction when we're on the ship. Yeah, that sounds like a lovely idea. It'll certainly take my mind off the rocking movements of the ship…ugh, I'm seriously not looking forward to that.
We arrived to the port quite early in the morning, where Kakashi left us at an inn while he looked for the captain of the ship who was taking us to Kirigakure. I don't know what everyone else was doing during then, because I conked out minutes after Kakashi had left the inn. I do not wish to sleep on the ship, because apparently, it makes seasickness worse.
Here's to hopefully have a week of good weather. Or whatever will make this trip go any faster, because otherwise, I'm not going to have a good time, at all…
…
…
"Ulp…uuuurgh…" I was not having a good time…at all.
I was nauseous, throwing up whatever was in my stomach into a bucket, and it's been only four fucking hours since the ship, the Lapis Lazuli, set sail. The captain of the ship was younger than any of us had ever expected, but that was mostly due to the fact that the older captain, Kazumi, had passed his title onto his son, Mikuri. Mikuri was a turquoise-haired young man with a dazzling smile. At first glance, he didn't appear to be a reliable captain, but looks could be deceiving. His entire crew thought highly of him and Mikuri had enough experience to prove it.
Not that I was doubting him or anything, as I was too busy having a really bad time. Fucking seasickness—why me?! This is not funny…I mean, I have an affinity for water—I should be immune to crap like this, right? I don't know, but Haku and Zabuza seemed completely fine, as were Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi. Really, I am the only one suffering here and it just sucks.
"Blaargh…" Make…it…stop!
This is seriously worse than the boat trip to Wave…and that trip took three hours at max! And to think—it'll take at least a week to get to Kirigakure….why? I can't even go to sleep because that'll just make it worse…
"I asked around and got some medicine, if you need any," Haku told me after returning to our room (which we were sharing, due to the impression everyone had that Haku was female and being the only females, supposedly, it was best for us to share a room), where I was now at, just laying down, hoping it will end. "Do you?"
I stared at Haku from my bed, contemplating whether or not I wanted to get out of bed. For one, the beds were rather comfy, and two, I don't think I should even be walking with how uneasy I was. So I just held out my hand and told Haku to take a water bottle out of my backpack, because anything that could help ease my seasickness would do.
I ended up falling asleep about an hour after taking the medication Haku had handed me, due to how drowsy it had made me. On the bright side, I felt better, so all was well…at least, that's what I thought until I realized how tired I was. The freaking medication had a sedative effect. Bluh…ehehe, I just recalled that a certain Materia-stealing ninja managed to get past her motion sickness via tranquilizers.
Oh man, how the hell did I not make the connection? Well, I guess it's because my problem is more exclusive to boats and ships. I also don't steal things…sorta—the raid doesn't count since the owner was dead! And plus, Gatou was a complete ass, so he deserved death or at least some form of retribution!
"Do you want me to bring you dinner?" Holy shit, was I asleep for that long?
Growl.
I felt my face heat up before I pulled up the covers over my head. I heard Haku giggle before saying he would be back. He left after that, allowing me a moment to myself. I pulled down the covers and glared at my stomach.
"Stupid stomach…" If Sasuke were here, he would have poked me in the forehead for that. "Muurgh…"
I'm tired…but I'm not sleepy. Ha…this is going to be a looong seven days…
…
…
Day two aboard the Lapis Lazuli, I have reached a new stage of seasickness and that is vertigo. I cannot even walk without feeling disoriented. I have since clung to the walls for support and taken to viewing the scenery while on deck as a form of distraction. I have no idea if this is working, but it is sure as hell a lot better than staying in bed.
I am not alone, as everyone else is here…well, everyone except the fox kits, since Naruto left them in his room, which he shared with Sasuke. Kakashi and Zabuza are sharing a room, in case you are wondering.
"Look, dattebayo!" Naruto suddenly exclaimed. "It's Iruka-sensei's family!"
Family…oh, the dolphins—wait, are they the same ones?! I wobbled over to the gunwale of the ship and gripped the railing when I looked down. Sure enough, it was Iruka's fami—I mean dolphins, though I wasn't sure if they were the same ones we had freed at Gatou's base…I doubt it. Of course, then Naruto pointed out a scar one of these majestic creatures possessed and it was such a familiar scar that I doubt it could be anything but a coincidence.
"Are these seriously the dolphins from before?" Holy crap, how did they find us?!
"It seems so!" Haku replied.
"I told you that they were Iruka-sensei's family!" Naruto was so ecstatic. "Why else would they follow us-ttebayo?"
"Still not a valid excuse to keep them," Kakashi said without looking up from his book.
"But they're a vital part to the oceans' ecosystem and help regulate the fish population as well as help keep sharks away from the more shallow waters!" Naruto complained.
…
Kakashi lowered his book and gave Naruto a strange look. "Again, where are you learning these things?"
"Once again, not me…" Oh hell no—that sounded like something out of a book.
"I read-ttebayo," was all Naruto had to say.
"I didn't even know you could read," Zabuza admitted.
Naruto pouted. "Shut up—it took me longer than most, dattebayo!"
Yes, it certainly did. "I was definitely there to help him."
"Wasn't your vision shitty then because you didn't have your glasses?" Sasuke suddenly asked.
"Yes, Sasuke, that's how it was…" Ahh, the good ol' days when I was an extremely shitty reader…I don't miss those days.
And that was pretty much what day two consisted of…Kakashi constantly telling Naruto we weren't keeping the dolphins. It was as amusing as knowing that Kakashi put aside Icha Icha Paradise for this. Never change, Naruto, never change…
…
…
Day four aboard the Lapis Lazuli, seasickness has yet to subside. Currently sedated thanks to the effect of a medication I had just taken. Reasons why I am not in bed and on the main deck can be summed up as Haku trying to show me something in order to make me feel better.
"I've been meaning to try this out since I've signed a contract, but here goes!" Haku bit his thumb, did the hand seals, and slammed the palm of his right hand onto the floor, as he yelled, "Summoning no Jutsu!"
I had been wondering why Haku had placed a bucket of water in front of himself when he had done that. I found out right after a puff of smoke engulfed the bucket. Once the smoke had cleared up, a tiny sea horse could be seen swimming inside the bucket of water. It was so small…and cute!
"What do you think of Haruka?" Haku asked me afterwards.
"C-Cute!" Oh my gosh, sea horses are so cute and just cute! Ahhh… "I wanna touch it, but I don't want to hurt it…"
"That's your summon?" Naruto had been watching the entire time, as had Sasuke, Kakashi, and Zabuza. "Isn't it small-ttebayo?"
"Haruka is only a child," Haku explained. "I'm sure Haruka will grow bigger like the one that appeared when I had to sign the contract."
"Is that why we needed to get a new table?" Sasuke looked questioningly at Haku.
Haku nodded. "I apologize…"
"Hey, hey—try a bigger one, dattebayo!" Naruto looked eagerly at Haku. "I wanna see how big they can get!"
Haku looked at Naruto for a moment before turning to Haruka, who disappeared in a puff of smoke. "Okay, I'm going to try doing this in the ocean this time…"
Haku walked closer to the gunwale for this. He bit his thumb again and did the standard procedure for the summoning technique and when he slammed his palm onto the floor, we got greeted with a rather terrifying sight of what appeared to be a gigantic blue-skinned monster whose head had just popped out of the water. It was enormous…and due to its size, any little movement it made caused a disturbance in the body of water where it resided. It was also quite horrifying, and it didn't help that the weather added to its appearance.
Captain Mikuri said that it was going to rain today…and it did—right after Haku had summon this Leviathan of a monster! The skies were gray and cloudy, the rain started off as a light drizzle before turning into a heavy downpour. And just then—Haku's summon roared, nearly capsizing the ship as it did. It was like a goddamn nightmare!
We're gonna fucking die!
So this is how I die again…because Haku summoned something akin to a kaijuu, much like Godzilla. I certainly lost all feeling in my legs and dropped to my knees, my heart pounding rather rapidly in my chest.
"Send it back!" Zabuza suddenly yelled.
Haku didn't hesitate to do as Zabuza had told him. I was extremely grateful for that…but it was still raining—just not as hard. I wondered if that monster had something to do with the downpour…
"That was awesome, dattebayo!" God dammit, Naruto, we nearly capsized because Haku listened to you!
"Haku—never listen to Naruto again, if it means doing something like that," Kakashi told Haku once we were sure that everything was fine.
"Especially since your summons are sea dragons," Zabuza added.
Is that what they are?! That explains the freaking Leviathan summon!
What a way to find out they exist in this world!
"Please don't do that again…" Sasuke was rather freaked out.
"What happened?!" Mikuri barged out the door, probably to investigate the sudden force that nearly capsized the ship.
"That was me…sorry…" Haku smiled apologetically at Mikuri. "I didn't think my summons could get that big."
Mikuri stared at Haku for a good minute before sighing. "Just don't do it again…wouldn't want this ship to capsize, now would we? That would certainly be a shame…"
Oh, it would…guh, this trip is seriously doing a number on me…
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Day seven aboard the Lapis Lazuli, seasickness still sucks. I am more than likely to be seen in a sedated state due to the medication I take for seasickness. Due to the summoning stunt that Haku had pulled, as well as the bad weather that had followed afterward for the next few days, it will take us slightly longer to reach Kirigakure. I don't know how much longer I'll be able to last, but on the bright side, Haku had made me a crown of flowers using the white carnations he had on himself.
And Haruka, the sea horse, was a cute little summon that can blow bubbles. It was certainly enough to brighten my day—almost as much as the sunflowers Neji had given me did. That reminds me…I need to change the water. Don't want them withering away so quickly…
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A/N So momohart made a thing and I wanted to say you guys could check it out on my profile! Oh and for everyone's sake, I put up a reference I usually refer to for hanakotoba, which is the Japanese language of flowers. Please refer to it, since you might just find something interesting in this chapter…ahaha.
Anyways, my spring break is over, but I don't have classes until Thursday and that's about it for this week, ignoring club activities I have on Friday. This is a pretty good Spring Quarter for me this time around, so hopefully, I can get some more chapters out before then!
So in this chapter, the long awaited Haku and Neji confrontation occurred, a lot of you readers were waiting for that. I certainly had fun with it.
I wonder if anyone got the reference when it came to the captain, because it's there…and the name certainly says a lot. Oh, and fun fact, when it comes to a certain Materia-stealing ninja, Yuffie Kisaragi, I quite like her…in fact, my profile picture is of her hugging Cait Sith.
Anyways, I gotta give you guys a complete heads up about the next chapter, I'm gonna be experimenting with multiple POV shifts from differing characters. Expect it to be like You've Got That Wrong, my Dangan Ronpa genderbender, except I'll try to notify a change with a line break, just for convenience…unless you'd rather I'd stick with the You've Got That Wrong-style, which I am more than comfortable to go with. Feel free to leave some feedback.
Speaking of Dangan Ronpa, I was making a direct reference to Saionji Hiyoko, the Super High School Level Traditional Dancer. Guess who got stuck with a kimono that resembles hers? Chōko did, and she is not happy about it, but considering how picky she is with her kimono, it'll have to do until she finds better ones or probably outgrows the Saionji kimono. Oh, and when I brought up Viola, I meant that Viola from the Witch's House. Makes you really wonder how Chōko would have reacted if she were blonde.
Also, the shipping games have commenced and I'm honestly not that surprised to see the support for the Haku/Chōko pair…however, I am still quite intrigued with the Itachi/Chōko pair, like, I can see it (sorta), but I'd like to hear some reasons for the pair, apart from the fact that Chōko found Itachi aesthetically attractive.
Fun Fact: If I said this before, then I'll say it again, when I first went into this story, I didn't have any pairings in mind for Chōko, until after chapter seven got posted, when reviewers began to start their ships. Now, I have an idea of what I'll go into, but still continue to ship whom you wish to ship. And have fun! This also includes other characters that don't involve Chōko!
So anyways, you have ChibiFoxAI to thank for the fact that Haku has sea dragons as summons and before you can get me for doing mythical creatures as summons, I'm just gonna bring up Danzō's baku, which are also mythical creatures. So yeah, Haku's sea dragons can range from tiny sea horses to giant Leviathan monsters. There is an in between and going by mythology, they're capableAnd if you're wondering about how sea horses can be dragons, I'm going for the Fruits Basket explanation and giving you Hatori Sohma.
You also have ChibiFoxAI to thank for the entire dolphins scene and to UnstableFable for Neji's silent annoyance. Suggestions are something I always consider, just so you guys know.
Anyways, shout out to duchessliz for being reviewer #420 and Rivum for being reviewer #430. An honorable mention goes to kopycat101, for getting the Kuragehime reference and making a point about the Kuranosuke parallel with Haku. This Haku really does give off a lot of Kuranosuke vibes…
I hope you enjoyed this chapter, because I certainly did! So until next time, everyone! KD out! XD