Icewater
Chapter 16: Shadows
Disclaimer: Deep breaths, take it easy. I know this is hard to hear. But you need to hear this. I don't own squat.
Lots of love to Chelty-chan! You all should check out her work- she's amazing!
Thanks for reading! Please review!
Also, I love you very very much, Light Penguin. I love "Sailor Moon: Haato Wa Mangekyou" more than I love my sexy self, and that's saying something. Keep up the amazing writing, and never forget: forgive the IPhone spellcheck, for it knows not what it does.
**If you're on a mobile device, my formatting isn't transferring over to it properly (for whatever reason). If you can, read it in the Desktop format. It's at it's best then.*
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
She loved to pretend she was a shark when she was a young girl.
She would swim around and growl, baring her teeth, hair flying out behind her, vibrant tail swishing violently to and fro in the warm tropical waters of Atlantica. The sunlight would float downward to the white sandy ocean floors covered in dazzlingly colorful coral, and fish would swim away from her in a hurry, playfully indulging her fantasy. She imagined she was a great white, majestic, powerful, swift, and silent. One of the few sea creatures able to overpower fish, man and merfolk alike, sharks were considered dangerous and fierce, menacing and cruel.
But Kushina liked to pretend she was a shark that was an exception to all the stereotypes.
She would pretend she had been orphaned by a human net, which had caught all her family except her, and was hunting fish all alone in order to survive. She would chase angel fish, but then 'realize' they were too quick for her; next, she would go for the clownfish, but of course the anemone protecting them would be too troublesome to bother with.
Finally, she would decide to eat a merperson. She imagined someone, perhaps a redheaded peasant like herself, perhaps an exotic Arctician Prince, and perhaps a drab, pale-finned Oceanican, who would be startled by her but unable to escape.
And right before she would close her jaws around them, she would realize the dangerous, fierce, menacing, cruel ways of the sharks were barbaric and just... Not her style. She would pretend to apologize to the merperson and then become their best friend.
She liked to believe that she could someday have a best friend.
More than anything, growing up in the blue, clear waters of Atlantica had allowed Kushina to remain optimistic and hopeful, despite her hurricane of a childhood. At age six, her parent had died in a skirmish between Arcticia and Atlantica, and she had been tossed abruptly by the winds of tragedy into the chilly currents of the adult world, which she eventually learned to navigate without misshap. Atlantica was a place where the poor aided the poor, and the rich helped the rich; those of different class did not mingle, and those of the same took care of their own. It was not, she had long ago discovered, the ideal childhood, but it was for a good purpose.
She learned, in her childhood, that the waters were always warmer on the other side of the current, so to speak. Kushina, while playing Shark, would always stray as far as she could from her home, and as near the royal palace as possible. She would watch from afar as the maids-in-waiting and men-at-arms socialized and went about their work; she peered through the woven ocean flowers and ivy to gaze upon the magnificent gardens grown along the perimeter of the palace limits.
But most of all, she scrutinized the merfolk swimming to and fro for signs of the royal family.
Once, as a little girl, she would have sworn the King had visited her family. She did not remember much; a low, clear voice, conversing with the sounds of her mother's breathy alto and her father's piercing tenor, the hum and tingling sensation of a healer's touch against her abdomen, the shimmer of silky robes of royal colors and the soft feel of fabric grazing her palm, a flash of blonde and a peal of a boy's laughter.
She would have sworn the King had visited, but her neighbors denied it, gently patting her red head, as if to clear it of silly notions.
But even as a child, Kushina was no fool.
If the King had not visited her, then surely someone of the royal lineage had. Only the Namikaze line, lords and ladies below King Sarutobi, had hair of a color like sunlight above-water. The son, the youngest, was in training to become King.
Kushina never pretended to meet him in her shark game. It was too risky, to tempt fate to steal away the slim chance that they might cross paths someday.
She was eight when they did.
Snooping around the castle paid off. One morning, when the waters were still slightly cold from the night and the sunlight was streaming down in thin strands of white and gold, Kushina saw a mermaid with hair as pale as the white sands swim outside the court gates, heading for one of the gardens Kushina was presently observing. The mermaids hair was thick and curly and beautiful, as were her big, bright blue eyes. But she was not happy; she frowned deeply as Kushina looked on. Her golden fin shimmered under the sun's rays, and the mermaid sighed. She reached out and gently traced her fingers across a flower, fingers slowly caressing each petal. Kushina looked on curiously, wondering why this beautiful noblewoman was so sad.
"What do you think you're doing?"
The voice came from behind her, and Kushina lashed out with her flipper instinctively, shrieking and whipping around.
Her flipper connected with something, and a yelp followed the sound of the slap. The water whirled from the motion, and she saw a tumble of yellow spiral into the sand below her. Gasping, she warily circled the figure of a merman.
With a groan, he righted himself, pushing off the sand with his hands and floating upwards, shaking a mass of impossibly blonde hair to rid it of sediments. Kushina felt herself stiffen.
"N-Nami..." she managed.
The merman faced her, a glare on his face that effectively silenced her.
"What were you doing?" he repeated. Kushina could only stare, mouth agape, at the merman.
At the future King of Atlantica.
"Minato Namikaze."
The boy's eyes narrowed, and he floated higher than her, so as to look down at her. Crossing his arms, he said again, "What were you doing?"
Kushina, in spite of herself, felt annoyance well up within her.
"What were YOU doing?" she snapped back. It didn't matter that he was royalty; he deserved another slap from her flipper. Who did he think he was, talking down to her like that? As if he was ABOVE HER; never mind that, socially-speaking, he was; she had only been playing! She had done nothing to deserve the glare he was sending her. She swam up to his level, imitating his haughty pose, and flipped her red hair over her shoulder. "You absolutely got what was coming to you!" She smirked as his frown deepened, and met his eyes.
"Loitering on the royal grounds is a serious crime," the boy said, pretending not to have heard her previous statement. "Leave."
Kushina raised an eyebrow and floated higher.
"No," she replied simply.
Minato Namikaze floated up to her level and glared daggers at her.
"Spying on royalty is punishable by death," he continued.
Kushina felt a trickle of fear enter her. Death? But she hadn't done anything wrong! Then her annoyance became anger. How DARE he threaten her?
"I wasn't SPYING," she spat, "I was OBSERVING."
"They're nearly the same thing," Minato Namikaze said in return.
"Your rules don't scare me, little PRINCE," she said, venom tinging every syllable. "My parents are dead. I'm not scared to die. Maybe I even WANT to. How would YOU know?" She let a scowl appear on her face. "You grow up worrying about FLOWERS-" she pointed at the wall the woman (who must be related to him, she realized) was beyond -"as if flowers do anything but look pretty. I grew up a long time ago." She puffed her chest out. "I worry about lives. And sharks. And hooks. Dangerous things. Only they're normal." She closed her eyes and felt warmth spread throughout her body. She let it flow to her fingertips and thought of her game of Shark.
Then she thought of her anger with the boy in front of her.
She opened her eyes and saw a light, light blue glow at her fingertips darken and become a black, black purple that made the water around it bubble and hiss.
This was nowhere near the color it had turned the day her parents had died, but she noted to herself that her anger was letting her inner demon free.
Good. It would sting.
She flicked her finger.
The glow shot from her hand and scraped the bottom of Minato Namikaze's yellow fin. He let out a snarl, and then her attack hit the sand beneath them, sending it out in all directions with a soft 'ploom!' from the impact. The sand swirled and floated about them, and for a moment Kushina entertained the thought that the stars had come down to glow on her.
And then Minato Namikaze was roughly grabbing her wrist, pulling her in the opposite direction of the wall.
Realization and fear flooded her. She had attacked the Prince. Startled, she saw blood floating away from his fin, dissipating into the surrounding waters.
Oh God, oh God, the King will have me killed for this. Panic overtook her completely.
"No!" she whispered. "No..." Minato Namikaze continued to pull her along, but she began struggling against him.
She was going to die. They were going to kill her. This was it. Just like her parents, she would die over something stupid.
"I don't want to!" she wailed, frantically grabbing at Minato's hand in an attempt to free herself. "Don't kill me! DON'T LET THEM KILL ME!"
He said nothing, pulling her along so quickly she had no choice but to follow. She heard commotion from behind her and began to sob.
Minato's hand released her, and then shoved her forward.
"Get out," he said. "Go. NOW."
Kushina did not question him.
She fled as swiftly as her fin would take her.
It was not until she lay in bed that night that she realized he had saved her from the death she had claimed she had not feared.
The moment he had rescued her had been - ironically - the moment she had fallen in love with him.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
"Ino!"
It was evening. Ino had just dropped Sakura off in her room and was heading down to the kitchen to bring up a light dinner the two of them could share. Whirling around by reflex, Ino saw Shikamaru approaching lazily, taking small, leisurely steps. Beside him stood Choji, who held a sack that, she deduced, probably held food. She stopped and let the two males catch up to her before continuing on her way.
It was silent while they accompanied her. They entered the narrow servant sidedoor to the kitchens and slipped inside. The cook, a plump woman waving a fan at a fire, glanced up; upon seeing Ino, she nodded and returned her attention to her work. Seeing this as permission to continue, Ino hurriedly piled fruits onto a platter. A cauldron with boiling soup stood in the center of the kitchen; a fire blazed beneath it. Ino ladled some of the stew into two small bowls and then stoked the fire before filling a jug with water, grabbing two goblets, and placing all the dinner objects on a large platter. She motioned impatiently to the men accompanying her; Choji opened the door for her, and Shikamaru followed her as she left. Walking briskly, she sped hurriedly up the stairs and corridors the servants used until she was walking down the hall to Sakura's room.
It was just as she was about to knock that she realized the boys hadn't dispersed from her side.
"What?" she asked, not turning around to face them. Ino prided herself on sensing these boys' feelings; they had, after all, grown up together.
And right now she was feeling waves of intense curiosity from them.
Sure enough, Chouji broke the silence.
"What's been going on, Ino?" he asked.
Ino shrugged, careful not to unbalance the tray she held.
"This noble's demanding," she replied. Neither boy spoke, and she knew they expected more. She sighed. "Look," she said, slowly turning to face them. "I honestly don't know that much."
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. He had always been like that. If he could communicate something with a feature rather than words, he would, because it was much less work on his part. He was a lazy youth. Brilliant, but lazy. It was why he had not been promoted to General and his Father had not retired yet: his lack of drive (or effort) still made him unsuitable for the role. Even so, Prince Sasuke had long ago recognized the genius within Shikamaru, and had essentially given him the unofficial role of right-hand-man. On the frequent voyages the Prince set out on, Shikamaru had full command of any and all ships partaking in the journey. He often had to resort to yelling to get the sailors to hear his commands, but he was always obeyed and rarely questioned. Still, though, if he could get away with signals instead of using his voice, he would, because that was who he was.
Ino frowned at Shikamaru. He was right, she knew, to suspect something more going on, but it was not her place to tell him. In any case, she reasoned, she was in no position to reveal anything to anyone; the fact that Sakura had been forced to flee her home meant that now whatever - or whoever - had scared the girl away was a threat to Ino as well. If information got out that Ino was hiding Sakura, there could potentially be consequences.
Ino hated not being in control, so she tended to hold fast to pertinent matters.
Matters like the ones Shikamaru and Chouji were asking about.
"She's mute," Ino said simply. "Seriously, I don't know any more than you." Her eyes glimmered ever so slightly as a slightly devious idea entered her mind. "The Prince is pining after her, but maybe he's covering up for something. I guess. As I said, I don't know." There. Shikamaru's narrowed eyes and Chouji's startled round ones confirmed her hope that the boys would buy into her lie.
Let them think it's Sasuke's secret to hide, she thought smugly.
Without another word, Ino turned back to the door and rapped loudly.
The boys eyed her warily as Ino waved them away. They did not move. She opened her mouth to chastise them-
Click.
The doors opened. Sakura, hair tied up and hidden beneath a long, shimmering red veil, peeked her head out, green eyes locking onto Ino's two companions.
Briskly, Ino walked inside, shoving the tray into the other girls hands, pulling her back from the doors, and kicking them closed with her shoes.
"Who was-" Sakura began.
"Hurry and eat, before the food gets cold!" Ino said pointedly. She leaned her back against the doors, casually placing each hand over the keyholes she knew Shikamaru and Chouji would be trying to stealthily peer through. Unfortunately for them, she could see their shadows through the bottoms of the doors.
It had been one of the first of few things Shikamaru had taught her when they were young.
"See that?" he had asked, pointing towards the door leading into the Court.
"Uh, yeah," she had replied. Was Shikamaru as dumb as he sounded right now? she had wondered. Of course I can see the door!
Shikamaru directed his finger downward.
"See those?" he asked. Ino huffed, irritated by his nonsense.
"WHAT about it?" she had replied snappily.
Shikamaru let his hand fall.
"What do YOU think it means?" he responded, never raising his voice. Ino, on the other hand, squealed in frustration.
"I don't KNOW," she said, stomping her foot. "I don't KNOW, I don't CARE, and I-"
His hand covered her mouth.
"Shh," he whispered, eyes trained on the ground beneath the doors. Ino followed his gaze.
A shadow shifted, ever so slightly.
"Court's in session," she whispered, horrified. She had been taught strictly - as all the children within the castle walls had - not to make a sound during a Court assembly, whether inside the Court or passing by it. There were harsh penalties for interruptions by servants.
Shikamaru had silently taken her hand and continued walking.
"To the gardens?" Ino asked.
Shikamaru did not respond, but his silence was more than enough of an answer.
Sakura smiled gratefully at her, evidently unaware of prying eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but Ino hastily cut her off.
"I do wish we could carry on conversation, don't you?" Ino grinned, biting her lip. Slowly, Sakura caught on, green eyes furrowing as she imitated Ino's motion. Ino pressed forward, motioning to the small table in the corner of the bedroom. "Let's eat. I see you put the veil on early! It was for tomorrow."
Sakura quietly followed Ino. The blonde set the table hurriedly, then pranced over to the doors and flung them open.
The hallway was empty.
Of course. Just as she knew them like the back of her hand, they knew Ino better than she did herself. They must have recognized her anger and hastened away as soon as she'd been too far to hear their scampering. Biting her cheek, Ino slammed the doors closed again and stomped back to the table, where a worried Sakura sat.
"Eavesdroppers," Ino said by way of explanation. Sakura's eyebrows shot up, and she opened her mouth to ask for more details, but Ino elaborated. "They're just my old friends, and they're protective." She made a face. "Like brothers... Only friends." She made a face as Sakura smiled knowingly. "Ugh, that is SUCH an awkward thought!"
Shaking her head, Sakura dipped her spoon into the hot stew and began eating; Ino followed suit.
"They're troublesome," Sakura said softly a few moments into the meal, "But you need those friends."
Ino lowered the spoonful she had been about to consume.
"I suppose," she said. "But sometimes I wish they'd back off a bit."
Sakura laughed.
"Me, too," she said, a bit more enthusiastically. "But then that's what makes them the great friends that they are." She looked toward her window then. It didn't take much to understand why. The Kyuubi boy had been close to the girl. Ino wondered just how close as she looked at Sakura's far-away gaze.
Ino grinned, lifting her spoon again and slurping her stew.
"Yup," she replied, and the two girls finished their meals contentedly and with soft, animated chatter.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
A/N: I LIIIIIIVE! Yes. And I have discovered Swoozie. He is totally my new BFF (not rlly). I've been bogged down lately, but I'm determined now, and I've sort of started actually finishing things as they are assigned, so there you are.
Happy Halloween! I turn 18 October 31st! :'3 Goodbye childhood, hello adulthood... *sob*
