Icewater

Chapter 7: Will of Fire

Disclaimer: Refer to chapter 5.

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Sakura woke up with a would-be groan, shielding the light blinding her with her arms. She shifted, and her eyes snapped open. She huff-screamed, sitting up, realizing she was covered in something she had never felt before.

And then it dawned on her that, actually, she'd felt the sheets on her bed last night. She wore silky, frilly pajamas given to her by the maids last night after Sasuke had given her over to them to take care of. They had helped her bathe (she'd never had to before and they seemed eager to help the "poor, unfortunate shipwreck survivor") and dress, and had guided her down the ornately furnished hallways and stairwells into the suite she had fallen asleep in, tucking her in beneath the warm sheets.

Now Sakura fought the urge to snuggle back into the bed she was in. She rubbed her eyes with her hands, glad that one of the maids had thought to subtly awaken her by opening the curtains. Sunlight poured in, and Sakura looked up to see a reflection of herself in the vanity on the other side of the room. She got out of bed and looked at herself.

Her blonde hair was messy, now that she had no water for it to flow about in. Still, after looking at it and tentatively grabbing a brush, she ran it through her hair to find it was easy enough to tame and manage. She was about to tackle a particularly nasty knot when a maid with long blonde hair burst through the doors. She held a steaming steel-covered dish of food that made Sakura's mouth water.

"Hello!" said the girl. She looked to be no older than Sakura, and her eyes - Bluer than Naruto's, she realized - shined with confidence. "My name is Ino Yamanaka, and I hope we can be good friends!" She noticed the brush in Sakura's hands and gasped dramatically, eyes bulging. "Oh, no, none of that!" she scolded. Ino arranged things quickly so that Sakura was eating a breakfast of something called "sunny-side eggs and bacon" with berries called blueberries that resembled the seaweeberries in all but taste. Ino, meanwhile, chattered on about nothing in particular while braiding Sakura's blonde hair ("Ooh, your hair almost looks pink in this lighting! Talk about strawberry blonde!" Ino had cried), tying a red ribbon she had produced from one of the vanity's drawers around Sakura's head. "There!" she said, smiling. "You look beautiful!"

Sakura smiled up at her, finishing her food. Ino smiled.

"I would add makeup, or at least powder and blush, but..." She laughed. "It would just make you look fake! No, al naturale suits you best."

Sakura's smile broadened at the irony. I'm a mermaid with legs, she thought. That's hardly natural. Still, she appreciated Ino's effort and bubbly enthusiasm. She knew the girl meant well.

Ino grinned.

"So, are we friends?"

Sakura nodded.

Yes, she thought, Yes we are.

Ino squealed delightfully and then hugged Sakura.

"Yay! The moment I saw you, I knew we would be!" She pulled on Sakura's braid playfully. "Now let's get you dressed!"

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Naruto sat in a salicornia-woven chair, his fin nervously twitching as he waited for someone here in Pacifica's central office to notice him.

After he realized it was useless to try and ascertain where Sakura had swam away to, Naruto had decided to go through with their original plan of action: to take back Oceanica.

But so far, Pacifica was proving difficult. He had yet to see Gaara, and when he had arrived he had seen some damage to the rooftops.

He had a sinking suspicion Orochimaru was involved somehow.

It was nearly afternoon, although from the angle of the sun shifting in through the hold in the roof, Naruto could tell there was still an hour or so left of morning. He stifled a groan. His muscles were sore from traveling non-stop to reach Pacifica, and he had only been able to eat seaweeberries from his basket. (Only red ones, just as Sakura had told him to; some purple had come along for the ride, after all, but he avoided them.)

Naruto recalled the last time he had seen Gaara. They had been swimming together in Atlantica (they were just goofing of), and Gaara had asked quietly if they really were friends.

Naruto laughed.

"Of course we are!" he yelled. "Believe it!"

Gara let the ghost of a smile creep onto his face at Naruto's exclamation.

"I do," he said.

Naruto smiled now. He wondered what they would say to each other now, with Oceanica captured by the enemy and Pacifica (clearly) already being under siege.

He caught wight of blonde hair and shouted.

"Temari!" The mermaid flinched at his voice, turning to meet his eyes.

It was then that Naruto saw the panic on her face.

"Naruto!" she swam over to him. "Is your Father here, too? Oh, thank heavens! We need to form a war strategy," she continued. "Gaara's been taken by O-"

"Orochimaru, yeah," replied Naruto. "I know. I was there when a minion of his killed King Jiraiya. We need to arrange a b-"

"Wait," she said, brow furrowed. "Orochimaru... killed Oceanica's king?"

"Yeah," replied Naruto, feeling his stomach sink. "They've also got my Dad locked up."

Temari's eyes locked onto his.

"It was Oceanica that took Gaara," she told him.

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Three thoughts flashed in Sasuke's brain when the mysterious girl from last night entered the courtroom.

The first: Sakura.

The second: No, not Sakura, she doesn't have pink hair.

And finally: She looks... Gorgeous.

Her blonde hair caught the light, shining dazzlingly. Her blue dress subtly accentuated her curves but still provided modest cover, with a somewhat low neckline and long sleeves and a flowing skirt. Almost immediately, her eyes sought and found his; green and black met.

It's just the light that's distracting me, he thought to himself. She just so happens to be standing in it, so of course I'm noticing her.

Then his brother nudged him teasingly, and the spell was broken.

"She's new to the court," said her brother. "Is she by any chance the shipwreck refugee you kindly brought home with you last night?"

The way Itachi said "refugee" made it sound synonymous to "vermin" or "slime." Sasuke's eyes darkened in spite of himself.

"She is," he said. "I intend on showing her the kingdom." The last part simply slipped out. Sasuke reasoned to himself that it was because he wanted to give an excuse to his brother as to why he was not immediately throwing her out of the gates.

I don't want her to go, he stubbornly realized. She's interesting, he added on to convince himself. I want to know more about her.

Thoughts of a mermaid with pink hair flashed through his head.

And what they have to do with each other, he amended.

Itachi raised an eyebrow.

"You're not King yet, dear little brother," he chuckled. "Father will have to approve that."

Sasuke carefully kept his expression neutral. His brother Itachi had given up his right to the throne, taking the position of Duke instead; Sasuke was the future leader of Konoha.

"What Father does not know will not hurt him."

Itachi grinned.

"I won't tell," he said, "but you should know by now that nothing is hidden for long when Father is involved." He ruffled Sasuke's hair with a hand before walking away to socialize.

Sasuke grimaced, running his own hand through his hair.

Well, he thought, there's a first time for everything.

He noticed the girl still standing in the sunlight, awkwardly glancing this way and that. He caught her eye and motioned with his arm. She hesitated, then strode toward him.

He raised an eyebrow, amused, when she tripped, stumbling the last few steps towards him.

"Still not used to land?" he teased. Sakura smiled sheepishly before looking expectantly at him.

It took him a moment to register that she was waiting to hear why he had called her over.

It took a moment more to register he didn't really have one.

But he was a quick thinker. He let his first thought spew forth from his mouth.

"You look nice with the sun in your hair."

He mentally slapped himself and physically cringed. Okay, NOT what I meant to say, he thought, groaning inwardly as the girl giggled silently at him, green eyes flickering with humor.

He cleared his throat, and right away, she stopped giggling.

"Would you care to see Konoha with me?" he asked her. She seemed to furrow her brow before recognizing the name. She nodded enthusiastically.

"Very well, then." He smirked down at her. "I'll see you at the gates after lunch. You are dismissed."

At her startled expression (and unbecoming "o"-shaped mouth) he gestured to the door. "You may leave now," he elaborated.

The girl flushed, turning (and, he saw amusedly, nearly slipping from the motion) and stomped away in an unlady-like manner.

He turned to look at Shikamaru, who was lounging by Chouji at the breakfast buffet. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. Chouji stuffed his face.

Sasuke shrugged.

Why not? he thought. It's not like I'm losing anything by taking her on a tour. Except time, but I've got all the time in the world.

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Sakura recognized the name of the kingdom Sasuke would one day rule from one of her Mother's stories.

"Mommy, where did the Prince live?"

"Above water, on land, sweetie."

"But his kingdom had a name, right? Just like ours is called Oceanica?"

The Queen's eyes lit with a smile.

"He lived in a human land called Konoha," she said. "It is an ancient civilization, at least as old as Oceanica itself, and is very similar except that humans reside in it, not merfolk." Her Mother's eyes glazed over. "Oh, I'm sure it must be a wondrous place. It must have dresses and horses and all sorts of things merfolk can only dream of. And, of course, it probably has fire."

"Fire, Mother? What's that?"

The Queen smiled.

"Why, it's difficult to explain. It's something that glows a deep orange and red, and can be warm. Oh, it can do so many things, terrible and wonderul alike. It can melt, it can burn, it can calm... It's something you would have to see to truly understand."

"So, Konoha is made of fire?"

Her Mother laughed.

"No, Sakura, dear." she replied. "Konoha is made of cold, hard stone, as cool as ice and sturdier than coral. No, my child, it is her people who have fire within them."

"I thought you said fire burned! They wouldn't be able to live if they burned up, Mother!"

"It's not that kind of fire," her Mother explained. "It's fire, but not the kind that burns you. It burns into your heart, but that's all. It is still very powerful, though. The people of Konoha surely must have the will of fire within them."

"Mother, do you think I have fire in me?"

Her Mother smiled down lovingly at her.

"Without a shadow of a doubt," she told her child. "It burns that brightly inside you."

Sakura still didn't know what that meant, but she knew fire could burn. If I can get my fire to burn Sasuke's, then that's all I need.

She walked back to her room, meeting (running into, actually, quite literally) Ino along the way.

"I heard you're going with Prince Sasuke," she whispered excitedly. "Let's get you dressed for the occasion!"

Sakura suppressed a groan.

Not more dresses, she inwardly screamed. She calmed herself by looking at Ino's bright smile. It makes my new friend happy, she reasoned, So I can deal with it. Her eyes narrowed as they alighted on the leaf insignia of Konoha hanging on a tapestry. I have to.

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AN: Short chapter, but the fire will be crucial (kinda) later on. I didn't want you to think it wasn't important.

Ino joined the cast. Yay! And what happened to Gaara? Next time, you may find out... Probably not, though XD Still, it will be revealed eventually.