Icewater

Chapter 8: Day One

Disclaimer: See ch. 5.

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The water was cold; Naruto had no clue where Temari and Kankuro were taking him, but there was a thin layer of ice coating the surface here. That means it's cold, he thought redundantly. Really, REALLY cold.

Naruto swam with them until they reached a series of caves, stretching about a sea-lots length. Naruto gaped. It would take a long time to check every single one of these, he thought.

"Naruto, check down below," Temari yelled. "Look for an opening, or something!"

As Temari barked instructions at her brother, Naruto swam down, peering up at the caves. His eyes narrowed on a hole in the moss gathered on the bottoms of the caves.

"Here!" he yelled. The two siblings quickly joined him, and together, they slipped into the darkness. The light from behind them provided little help, and soon they were blindly grappling along the walls to continue moving forward, whispering to each other to make sure they stayed together.

Naruto saw light filtering down from somewhere ahead, and swam towards it.

"Follow me!" he said. The siblings did.

They came across a narrow tunnel leading up; a green light glowed from above.

"Okay, Naruto, listen." Naruto turned to Temari, who was slightly pale. "We're going to ask the sea witch of Arcticia for help saving Gaara."

"S-S-Sea Witch?" Naruto stuttered, fear lacing his voice. Temari huffed irritably, trying her beat not to whack the naive Prince of Atlantica on the head.

"Don't you know any legends, idiot?" Upon his innocent look, she scowled, rolling her eyes. "Before Arcticia was destroyed, it used to be the only surviving merfolk civilization able to wield magic. We had a defactress from Pacifica decades ago named Chiyo who went to Arcticia to learn the art." Her eyes met Naruto's; he seemed enthralled in the story. "She never came back. Even YOU know that Arcticia was destroyed by Orochimaru."

Naruto nodded, puzzled. What does Arcticia have to do with Gaara? he thought.

"Supposedly, the Princess of Arcticia traded her Kingdom's future for legs so she could meet some human she'd fallen in love with." Temari's tone was like venom, poisoned with disapproval.

Naruto's eyes widened. This story... The story of a Princess and a sea witch, of love between a mermaid and a human... It was...

"That was Granny Tsunade," Naruto said softly. "Tsunade used to be the Princess of Arcticia?"

His parents had told him the tale; he had simply assumed they called Tsunade a Princess in the story because it was simpler than explaining the complex promotion from citizen to Queen. He knew Tsunade had been an Antlantican for some time before marrying King Jiraiya; he had never dreamed she was the Princess of the fallen Arcticia.

He had never dreamed such a kind woman, the one who had given him the necklace he wore to this day, the woman who had so emphasized the importance of duty to her daughter, would trade an entire people for a mere human.

Temari nodded.

"And the sea witch who supposedly cast the spell was our defactress."

Naruto's mind reeled in its attempt to process all this information. So Tsunade had given up everything to chase a futile love, and Chiyo had agreed to it...?

He regained his senses, shaking himself from his thoughts.

"Let's go," he said. He followed the siblings up the narrow tunnel and into an air-filled cavern.

A woman with the legs if an octopus glanced at them. She sat down a narrow hallway, in the light of something green and crackling. Naruto looked at Temari and Kankuro. The puppet master cleared his throat.

"Sea Witch Chiyo," he began. The woman lifted a finger, effectively cutting his sentence off, and reached down. She pulled it up to show a hand sparkling with a golden, thin, shimmering dust of some kind. She threw it into the crackling thing before her and motioned with her arm. The light blazed red and purple.

"Well, come here, then," she said. "I like to speak face-to-face."

The two merman and one mermaid dragged themselves along the ground of the passage, coming into the room the sea witch sat in. Their eyes had already found the source of the other, less noticeable glow of the cavern: orange fire.

Naruto could hardly believe it.

"Fire," he breathed. "I thought it didn't exist except in legends."

Chiyo made a grunting noise. "How do you think humans eat meat?" she replied. "Raw? It's like eating a purple seaweeberry- suicide, pure suicide. You'll get sick, maybe even die." She dusted her hands of over the fire in the large bowl in the middle of the room, letting the remaining powder fall into the fire, re-kindling the purple and red. "And it's a cauldron, before any of you call it a bowl." Her eyes met Naruto's, and he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

"Eheheh... Cauldron..."

"Ask of me what you desire," she said, turning to Kankuro.

He hesitated.

"As long as these flames burn, you may speak without harm or worry. I will be able to tell if you lie, though," she added. Kankuro gulped.

"We... We want our brother back."

Chiyo raised an eyebrow but did not speak.

"He was taken by Oceanica."

Chiyo's other eyebrow raised.

"I was under the impression that King Jiraiya was dead." Her words cut through the room, leaving silence in their wake aside from the hissing of the fire in the cauldron.

"Orochimaru has taken it."

Chiyo sighed.

"Of course," she muttered, "I should have known... Both of them came for legs, and both of them lose their kingdoms to the snake..."

Naruto's ears pricked.

"Legs?" he asked, perplexed. "Who are 'they?' "

The old witch waved her hand dismissively at him.

"First, to take care of the matter of the Kazekage." She looked at Temari, who did her best to straighten her back. "I can save him, but it will require time. They have taken his life."

There was a pause, and then Temari gasped while hr brother let out a strangled cry. Naruto let out a roar.

"WHAT?!" he screamed. Chiyo returned his gaze with a neutral expression.

"I can save him," she repeated, "but the price is high."

Temari and Kankuro looked at each other, and then nodded.

"We will pay the price," Temari said desperately. "Just get us back our brother."

She tsk-ed before throwing a handful of powder into the flames; they crackled a bloody red.

"I will take from both of you your most precious artifact." She snapped her fingers; a mannequin made of seastraw and a vibrant purple fan appeared. She looked at the siblings; they nodded. She snapped again, and the objects disappeared, winking out of existence. "In three days time, he will appear here. He will breathe; plunge him into the water, and he will open his eyes." With that, the flames lessened, burning green and red, flickering oddly in the light. The mix was so unnatural as it flickered on the walls.

"You two must leave now." The siblings cast a glance at Naruto before thanking the sea witch and leaving the caverns, returning to the water to leave the caves.

Chiyo sighed.

"And you, boy?" she asked, taking a handful and throwing it into the fire. It glowed purple and red again.

"I need to find Princess Sakura," he said. Chiyo looked him over.

"Young fancies," she chuckled, shaking her head. "They give way to unexpected love every time."

"I love her," Naruto replied. "I don't know exactly what you mean, but I'm not going to stop loving her." Chiyo's eyes found his again, crinkling old brown meeting young fiery blue. "I need to find her," he repeated.

Chiyo shrugged.

"Perhaps it is best that you try to bring her back," she said. He opened his mouth to offer a price; she lifted a finger.

"I owe it to Tsunade," she continued. "You will have three days time; if you have not retrieved Sakura by then, she will be human for four extra days, excluding the three she traded for, and you will be unable to return to land until after she has returned to the seas."

Naruto hesitated, then nodded.

"Whatever it takes," he said.

"Three days, boy," she said. "Do not bother to seek me out after that," she said, grabbing a handful of powder. "I am trading my life for the Prince's; in three days, when he breathes, I will cease to." She sprinkled the gold film on Naruto.

"Naruto Uzumaki, Prince of Atlantica and wielder of the Spirit of Nine Tails," she said. "You have one hour before your fin will split and form two legs. Fulfill your duty. Go!"

Naruto scrambled back to the water. He swam with all his might, not bothering to look which direction he swam after reaching the Ridges.

I must find Sakura, he thought.

He sighted land and became momentarily confused.

This isn't Sasuke's castle, he thought. His eyes widened. Oh, no! But I don't have ti-

A whirlpool cut his thoughts off. He yelped as it surrounded his legs, whipping around them and peeling his scales off painfully.

"Aaaagh..!" his mouth filled with water, and he nearly choked. The whirlpool died away, and Naruto saw two legs.

He looked around him underwater and saw a salicornia bush. His eyes narrowed and he grabbed it, ripping it from the sandy soil. He swam up, gasping for breath. He looked at the bush in his arms and examined the beach before him. It was deserted, which would prove useful. He swam over to it, tentatively testing his legs and finding them suitable, if a bit wobbly. He sat on the sand and began weaving something similar to the shorts he had seen the sailors wearing two days previously.

It took him nearly the remainder of the day to knit something that could pass as human garb.

I'll have to find some better clothes, though, he thought, weaving a basket from the remainder of the salicornia. He saved the flowers and placed them in the basket, eyes lighting considerably. Maybe the humans will buy these! he thought happily, standing and making his way to the road of stone not far from him.

He walked for a time and then saw someone unexpected.

A girl, dressed in what looked to be fancy, stumbling towards him. She saw him, her light purple eyes widening, and ran to him.

"Help, sir, please!" she yelled.

Naruto was going to ask why when the answer presented itself to him.

A hulking bandit appeared, wielding a sword of metal. Naruto's eyes narrowed and he pushed the girl behind him.

"Run if things go badly," he told her.

More bandits were filing in around the main one, but that wouldn't matter. Naruto decided to give the plan forming in his mind a shot.

He tried lifting his palm and swirling; he felt the wind gathering, but then it flew apart. He pursed his lips; wind was harder to hold on to than water.

The girl hesitantly reached over and copied his hand motions.

Naruto felt the wind gathering, and he again resumed the motion.

The bandits charged them as the wind began picking up. Whatever the boy had up his sleeve, they didn't want to wait and see it.

Naruto spun his hand faster, and the girl moved to hurry her own palms. Together, their efforts produced a small, blue and white compacted ball. Naruto nodded and the girl slowly backed off.

Then Naruto ran at the fast-approaching enemies.

"Rasengan!" he yelled.

The impact sent him and all the bandits flying in various directions. He felt himself being caught in warm arms and turned to take the fall for the girl, who had tried to do the same for him.

They both let out "oof"s as they slammed into the rocky road. Wind still flew from the spot Naruto and the large bandit had clashed.

The blonde looked up to see the bandits sprawled out around the road, all unconscious.

"S-Sir..." the girl stuttered. "Th-that was..." she trailed off, clearly at a loss for words.

Naruto laughed, feeling fatigue sweep over him.

"Awesome?" he offered helpfully, grinning at her. Her eyes widened, and she blushed, nodding fervently.

"Y-yes," she said. "M-M-Most definitely..."

"Lady Hinata!"

Naruto saw her flinch away from him, no longer leaning over him in concern. She was an appropriate distance away from him not.

Naruto sat up, looking to the voice that had called to the girl.

"This boy s-saved me," she said. Naruto saw two men dressed similarly to her and others dressed in traveling garb. Naruto carefully looked at it, memorizing what they looked like.

I'll have to get some, he thought. So I can travel to Sasuke's castle.

"Thank you, sir," said the older man, bowing low. Naruto stood and hastily waved.

"Ahh, it was nothing, sir," he said. "Don't flatter me."

The older man looked him over.

"Let us set up camp for tonight," he said, signaling with his arms. "Arrest the bandits." Men ran past, doing as commanded.

Naruto had a sinking suspicion these people were royalty. The names of the royal families Sakura had said Sasuke mentioned swept through his brain.

Inuzuka or Hyuga, he thought. I wonder if these guys are either of those families.

"Please show this man to a tent," continued the older man, gesturing to Naruto. "Bring him suitable clothing; he will dine with us tonight." Naruto heard the girl gasp beside him and his own eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected turn if events.

Guess I don't need the salicornia flowers anymore, he thought, looking around. He located the basket a few feet away from him, the flowers miraculously unharmed. He retrieved them and bowed deeply to the older man.

"Thank you for your kindness," he said.

"No, thank you for reaching my daughter," the man replied. "You have done the Hyuga clan a great favor this night."

Naruto's eyebrows raised.

The Hyuga, huh?

"With all due respect, sir," Naruto said, "I must be on my way to seek an audience with Sasuke Uchiha."

The older Hyuga raised an amused eyebrow.

"Then you may travel with us," he replied. "We, too, have matters to attend to in Konoha."

Naruto tried not to look too stupid. The coincidences just kept piling up!

"Tell me you don't have a pink-haired girl with you guys," he laughed, half-joking. They looked at him oddly, as if what he said was absolutely preposterous. He shrugged. "I'm looking for a friend of mine. She has pink hair and green eyes."

"W-We haven't seen anyone like that," said the girl he had rescued. She bowed. "M-My name is Hinata Hyuga," she added, bowing. "Th-Th-Thank you for saving me."

Naruto laughed. "No problem! My name's Naruto Uzumaki." He grinned. "So, uh..." he trailed off, looking around and noticing the sun barely peeking out from beyond the horizon. "What now?"

The older Hyuga man chuckles, gesturing with his arms. "Clothes," he replied, and two men came up to lead Naruto away.

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"And that's the bakery we use for less-important parties," Sasuke finished the tour with a flourish of hand gestures, pointing out the final locations. "The rest are civilian houses. We won't be going there."

Sakura was beginning to believe it would be harder and harder to part with Konoha.

No wonder Mother spoke of it so fondly, she thought. It's a wondrous place.

"So..." Sasuke gestured at the bakery again. "Hungry?"

Sakura nodded, and they entered eagerly, letting the smell of bread and other assorted pastries enter their noses. Sakura sighed; human food smelled so exotic, but it was delectable nonetheless. Sasuke bought her a warm bread with a jelly of some kind in the center, and she savored it, enjoying the warmth the fresh food provided her. Sasuke himself got a simple piece of bread to eat. They got inside of the carriage again, and Sasuke took the reins. The horse trotted along the cobblestone road back up to the castle. The sunset was marvelous above water, and Sakura watched it happily.

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Sasuke cleared his throat.

"So did you enjoy seeing Konoha?" he asked. Lame, he thought. So lame, Sasuke. What's wrong with me? I can't form coherent sentences in her presence. WHY?

She nodded. He smirked at her.

"Good," he said. The horse neared the castle, and the two traveled in awkward silence. They passed the beach, and he felt the girl tug on his sleeve.

"Hm?" he asked, looking at her. She pointed. His eyes followed her finger to see the ocean. "Yeah," he said, "Water. Wonderful." He turned back to steering the horses.

Tug, tug.

Again, he saw her point at the ocean. He rolled his eyes and turned to the reins again-

Tug, tug, tug.

He sighed.

"Yes?" he drawled, turning to face her, pulling the horses to a stop by the beach. They were almost at the gates again; a few more minutes, and he would back back at the castle.

She leapt out of the carriage, yanking his sleeve. He grunted, righting himself before leaping out after her, hurriedly tying the horses to a bush and praying the horses wouldn't try too hard to run away.

"Come back here!" he yelled after her, running to catch up. She had tossed her shoes off, lifting her skirt to splash in the water. He groaned; she was still getting her clothes dirty, despite her efforts. The maids would probably give him hell for that.

And so would his Father.

And suddenly, returning to the castle didn't seem so prudent anymore. He watched the girl splashing, smiling while her blonde hair whipped around her in a gust of wind, and then he took his shoes off as well. He rolled his pants up and joined her.

"This is much funner," he said playfully, taking a handful of seawater and throwing it on her. She gasped, startled, before grinning back at him, green eyes flashing, and splashing him back. He darted away, avoiding getting too wet, and kicked some water at her. She gasped again, and for a while they played like that in the sunset, water splashing and him screaming and laughing and her gasping and letting out would-be squeals of air. Finally, the sun disappeared, and Sasuke looked at the castle; Sakura had planned on splashing him, but refrained from doing so upon seeing the serious look on his face.

"We need to be getting back now," he said, taking her arm. He gently led her out of the waves. They put their shoes back on and retrieved the horses waiting patiently by the bush. They got back in the carriage and set out to the castle.

Sasuke glances at her and saw her green eyes widen and quickly look away, a blush creeping onto her cheeks as she realized she'd been caught staring. He smirked.

He amended his earlier thoughts of her. She's VERY interesting. Very different from most girls. His smirk broadened. I like that, though.

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Sakura collapsed on her bed. Today had been exhausting, but she had made leaps in her goal; Sasuke had nearly become a friend, and she had confidence in that the moment at the beach was something magical for him.

The problem was that it had been marvelous for her, too.

Stupid! she thought to herself. Don't fall into the trap you're setting!

She buried her head in a pillow. Don't... Don't beat like this, you treacherous heart...

But just thinking of Sasuke made her heart beat erratically; it ignored her plea.

Ugh, she thought. Great. Just great.

She fell asleep grumbling to herself about how stupid she was, how stupid HE was, and how stupid everything was.

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AN: There was some confusion about last chapter. When Temari told Naruto Oceanica had taken Gaara, it was meant to imply that Orochimaru had successfully conquered Oceanica and had enough control over its army to launch an attack on Pacifica. Sorry that didn't come across as clearly as I had anticipated! I didn't mean to confuse any of you!

Also, sorry about any typos; I haven't had time to beta my own stuff because I'm babysitting, and I have essays to finish so I won't be posting for awhile, so I figured I'd better post while I still can!