Naruto: Hell & High Water (ch. 3)
Title: Hell and High Water
Pairing: tbd Naruto/Sasuke
Rating: M16
Disclaimer: Anything you recognize from the Naruto-verse is Kishimoto’s. Everything else is mine.
Warnings: AU because this is a pirate story, and yaoi elements that may or may not focus on Naruto and Sasuke.
Summary: Kidnapped by pirates for an ability he does not possess, Sasuke Uchiha is swept into an adventure that has him leaving his old beliefs behind and questioning his future.
Previous Chapter
Chapter Three
The storm hit much sooner than expected. So much sooner that tomorrow still had yet to arrive. Hell, the sun never even had a chance to set. It just disappeared behind dark clouds that the helmsman swore appeared out of nowhere.
Much to his dismay, Sasuke was still on deck and chained to the mast, being pelted by a light rain that was really more of an annoyance than anything. But from the way the crew was running around and crawling over one another in an effort to follow orders as quickly as possible, one would think Doomsday was minutes away from approaching. There was no way this could be the maelstrom Neji had foreseen; it was far too early. However, the way the men were acting made Sasuke unsure.
As he observed the chaos around him, he noticed the crewmembers were constantly glancing over the prow. Curious as to what was out there that had everyone so spooked, Sasuke strained against his bonds to see around the pole to the front end of the ship and squinted as he tried to discern what he was looking at.
At first it appeared to be black thunderheads, so large and heavy that they rested on the sea itself. But then lightning sparked within the mass and gave Sasuke a better view.
The clouds were where they should have been, sitting high above the horizon in the sky. The thick darkness in between was fierce rain and wind. What made Sasuke’s blood run cold were the mountain ranges he saw within that he knew weren’t mountain ranges at all. They were waves that looked hungry enough to not only swallow boats, but entire islands as well.
And the ship was headed straight for them.
Sasuke frantically whirled around, putting the mast between himself and the awful sight. He refused to believe anyone was foolish enough to prefer facing that rather than fighting in a battle. Especially if they were pirates.
An echoed command of, “Get your lifelines ready!” had everyone abandoning their tasks and scrambling for the coils of rope that were lying about just as the vessel hit her first large wave. Sasuke’s stomach lurched as he realized it was probably too late to bargain with the captain to try and convince him to take the fight instead. They were already passed the point of return in outrunning the storm.
“Is it really almost dawn already?” one sailor yawned out as he tied the other end of his line to one of the numerous hooks jutting out from Sasuke’s mast. “I feel like I just fell asleep two hours ago…”
“Try more like one and a half,” Naruto snorted as he appeared by the man’s side to tie off his own rope. Numerous other crewmembers joined to secure their own lines and ignored the pair. “Neji was so far off on his prediction that we hadn’t even gotten around to securing any of the cargo.”
With a frown, Sasuke invited himself into the conversation. “It’s impossible for the Byakugan to see anything less than a guaranteed future!”
Both men stared.
“So…what? We’re going to hit a second storm during middle watch?”
“Or Neji was wrong,” Naruto countered, grabbing some extra rope from a passing crewmate. He turned back to the other man. “Shino, help get the last few barrels of gunpowder into their cradle below deck and make sure someone’s there to cover them with a canvas this time.”
With a nod, Shino gave his line a quick tug to make sure it was secure on its hook before jogging off to carry out the order.
Meanwhile, Naruto unraveled the rope and began to tie one end around Sasuke’s waist.
“It’s not a matter of Neji being wrong or not, it’s about the limited ability of the Byakugan-” Sasuke’s argument was cut off with a gasp as the rope was knotted too tightly around him.
“Listen and I’ll keep it simple for your land lubbing brain.” Naruto made no attempts to loosen the knot as he bent to tie the other end on a hook near their feet. “Neji is wrong. And that-” a finger went up to point at the storm they were sailing into, “-is proof.”
Another wave crashed into the ship and sent the world tilting sideways. Sasuke didn’t even have time to realize he was falling before he found himself being supported by a strong pair of arms.
“Try to keep your footing!” Naruto yelled just as the rain reached torrential levels. Anything that had been lucky enough to just be a little wet immediately became soaked.
Irked, Sasuke straightened and tossed his head back to sweep his bangs out of his eyes. He opened his mouth to tell Naruto where he could shove his footing, only to get a mouthful of water instead as another wave battered against the ship. The captive was swept off his feet and dangled by his chains as he watched numerous sailors ride the tide on deck until their bodies hit some immoveable force. As he struggled to upright himself, another wave knocked him right back down. Sasuke would have contemplated staying there if he wasn’t gritting his teeth against the amount of pain his metal cuffs were inducing upon his wrists.
After several attempts, he was finally able to return to a standing position and belatedly realized Naruto was no longer with him. Instinctively panicking, Sasuke looked around, trying to find the uncovered blond head that would reassure him the man he hated wasn’t dead. He spotted it almost instantly, helping another crewmate to his feet before another wave knocked the both of them over.
Feeling smug that he had managed to remain standing for that one, Sasuke decided to take the opportunity to at least make his torso more comfortable. Using his elbows he did his best to wiggle and push the rope around his waist up to the fleshier part of his midsection. Once satisfied, he wiped his bangs back and fought to keep his head up against the downpour so that he could observe what was going on around him on the deck.
The crew worked in an almost eerie silence, keeping their mouths shut tight as they went about rescuing anything that hadn’t been tied down tight enough the first time around. From the helm, the captain’s voice could barely be heard.
“Get Sai up - the cro - nest so I - amn sail! If that-ail won’t - ut it off!”
Knocked off his feet as the ship lurched in the opposite direction the waves had been coming from, Sasuke cried out in pain as his wrists took the full burden of his weight and twisted as his shoes slipped sideways along the deck.
He wasn’t given a chance to recover before a large hand grabbed the scruff of his shirt and hauled him to his feet. Keeping his head down so that his hair wouldn’t immediately stick to his face, Sasuke glanced over to see that his savior was the silver-haired man who had spoken up during Neji’s traitorous know-it-all explanation earlier.
Without waiting to see if the prisoner was alright, the man had moved on, echoing the relevant bits of the captain’s orders while barking out his own. It seemed as if Sasuke’s guess on authority had been right. The first mate, perhaps?
Sasuke wasn’t given a chance to ponder the thought as another wall of water washed over the deck. This time he was prepared, gripping his chains with his hands as his feet did all within their power to stay directly beneath him.
His hair was rapidly getting on his nerves, and he once again tossed his head back in an effort to get it out of his face. The action brought his attention to a splash of red and he looked down to find that his shirt sleeves were the source of the color, the iron cuffs having already rubbed his wrists raw enough to freely bleed.
For some reason, the sight caused Sasuke to shiver. Aside from knocking him out and pushing him around, the pirates had done him no real harm. They obviously intended to keep him alive for now and Sasuke believed himself to be clever enough to keep it that way if the tides ever changed.
But this was Mother Nature they were dealing with. There were no guarantees for survival in a storm like this. If Sasuke’s wrists were damaged from just a few falls, how well was the ship expected to hold up for the rest of the journey? His earlier words of “That’s suicide!” rang through his head, followed by the captain’s laughter. Dear God, he had been taken hostage by a group of mad pirates.
The wind carried down an alarmed shout from the crow’s nest. “Secure yourselves!”
The men broke their silence around Sasuke as they began cursing, scrambling for the closest immobile object they could hang on to. Naruto came skidding to a stop in front of the mast, yanking on all of the safety lines to ensure their knots held strong. He then shoved Sasuke into the tall wooden column and pinned him there with his body, his arms circling around Sasuke to firmly grab a hold of the hooks on his either side.
Speaking directly into Sasuke’s ear, Naruto ordered, “Hold your breath!”
Confused as to what exactly was going on, Sasuke looked over his shoulder and scowled as he found it impossible to see. Just then a flash of lightning illuminated the sky and outlined a giant wave towering over the ship.
Struck by a sense of vertigo as the vessel was lifted and began to dangerously tilt thanks to the sheer magnitude of the upsurge, Sasuke clung to the mast for dear life, shut his eyes and stopped breathing. He prayed they wouldn’t overturn even as the boat continued to tip.
The sudden rush of water muted out the storm as it tried to rip Sasuke away from the unyielding force that was Naruto. And then the pull stopped and for a terrifying moment Sasuke felt weightless as the vessel became one with the ocean. The feeling passed and the rush returned with vengeance, followed by the loud roar of the hurricane at full force.
Sasuke still refused to breathe even as he heard voices sound again before another wall of water washed over them. From somewhere nearby, the first mate yelled out an order that Naruto hurried off to follow. Sasuke didn’t budge from his position as he was left alone, gasping for breath only when he couldn’t hold it anymore.
For what felt like an eternity, Sasuke remained as he was, eyes screwed shut as the world spun around him. Wave after relentless wave hammered into the ship as the sea did everything within its power to drag whatever it could down to its murky depths. Sasuke’s muscles ached as he held onto the same hooks Naruto had grabbed earlier, keeping his body flush against the pole even when an undertow would drag his feet out from beneath him.
Don’t die, don’t die, don’t die. The silent mantra was more of a plea than anything and was being repeated with such conviction that it may as well have been directed not only at himself, but at the ship and her keepers, as well as whatever rescuing fleet that may or may not have been following them.
It was with a start that Sasuke came back to reality. His eyes snapped open as he realized it wasn’t a bit of random seaweed wrapping itself around his hand, but someone slowly trying to pry his fingers off of the iron hooks. He raised his head to see Naruto, who was staring at him with an unusual amount of gentle concern in his eyes.
“You okay?”
Sasuke looked around, unable to believe he was still alive. The storm around them had calmed considerably and lanterns were lit all around the deck to illuminate the night sky. Sailors wearily moved about, hoisting the sails and returning the jumble of ropes back to their original coils.
Realizing the man before him was still waiting for an answer, Sasuke dumbly nodded his head. He watched in silence as Naruto undid the line around his waist before freeing his wrists from their chains.
“Come on, the worst is over.” Naruto left the cuffs dangling on the mast in favor of carefully rolling up Sasuke’s bloodied sleeves so that his wounds would no longer be further agitated. “You can get some sleep in the brig.”
Unsure if he trusted his feet to work properly, Sasuke slowly followed Naruto and was startled to notice that he had to watch his step because the deck was nearly flooded with fish.
“Get Chouji up here to help sort these fish into barrels,” the first mate instructed. “Better put some in the tanks as well until we figure out where the hell we are and how far it is to the nearest safe port.”
A loud stomping caught everyone’s attention until they saw just who it was coming down the stairs from the bridge, causing them to quickly scuttle off to either help clean up the fish or find something else to do. The captain was very obviously in a foul mood.
“Someone,” he growled out, his eyes sweeping over the deck, “had better find Neji and tell him that the next time he gives bad weather predictions, the timing better be a hell of a lot better than this one was or he can expect to be boasting of his powers at the slave market. I want immediate inventory and damage reports! Everyone’s eyes had better be on the sky because as soon as those clouds clear and we can read the stars, I want to know our exact position!”
With that last order, the captain went to his quarters and slammed the door shut behind him.
From elsewhere on the deck, a loud sniffle was heard.
“Captain Minato is so amazing! He steered us safely through that entire storm, not leaving the wheel even once! And despite the exhaustion he must surely feel, he still gave us permission to interrupt his sleep, all for the sake of-”
“Gai,” the first mate interrupted. “Go gather the fish.”
As he left the deck, Sasuke felt cold and numb. But even in his near-dreamlike state, he couldn’t help but find the fact that they had not only survived Hell but obtained a long lasting food supply nothing short of a miracle.
After crossing through the crew’s sleeping quarters, Sasuke stopped short in the doorway, refusing to walk down the few steps that led to the brig. In the light of the lantern behind him, the floor glistened like the ocean - the place was flooded.
Peering over Sasuke’s shoulder, Naruto let out a disbelieving chuckle. “Uh, sorry. We’re always forgetting to fix the latch on the porthole in here, so everything tends to get wet during bad storms. I suppose we can put you in the galley…until…uhm…”
Sasuke sloshed forward, not really caring about what Naruto had to say. The water was only calf deep and he was already soaked to the bone. Entering his cell, he plopped down on the bench, a vague sense of irritation crossing his mind at how warm the puddle he was sitting in felt.
Frowning, Naruto hung the light in its designated spot and came forward, stopping just inside the cell door. “Hey, are you really alright?”
When Sasuke failed to answer right away, Naruto drew closer. “Hey.”
The proximity of the pirate’s hand waving in front of his face snapped Sasuke out of his daze.
“You can shove your footing so far up your bum that you choke on it.”
Naruto froze. “Up my what?”
“Bastard,” Sasuke growled, stubbornly looking away.
Naruto remained incredulous for a moment longer before he burst out laughing. “Yeah, you’re alright,” he said, shaking his head and heading back out of the prison, closing and locking the door behind him.
The ship was still on choppy waters despite passing the worst of the storm. While the unsteady rocking should have been nauseating, all it did was lull Sasuke to sleep.
*
Loud banging permeated through Sasuke’s dreamless rest. He ignored it as long as he could, but when it was joined by barking, he found he had no choice but to wake up.
Upon opening his eyes, he immediately noticed the cabin held a lighter tint, indicating it was not only daylight, but they had sailed well out of the storm’s range as well. He brought his hands up to rub the sleep from his eyes and the action caused the noises to finally stop.
“Oh, good!” Kiba happily proclaimed. “You’re alive.”
Sasuke ignored him and sat up, groaning as he momentarily forgot the place was flooded and dunked his feet without thought on their way to the floor. Grumbling about it seemed pointless. His clothes, after all, were still wet, sticking to his skin in a way that made him far more uncomfortable than submerged shoes ever could thanks to the heat and humidity. Wondering if he was expected to remain in his one outfit for the duration of the journey, he was distracted from his musings when a tray of food balancing on a floating bucket bumped against his leg.
From outside the prison, Kiba rested his arms against the bars above his head. “I would have handed it to you, but you were sleeping like the dead and I wasn’t about to risk being cursed by your body in the event that you really had kicked the bucket.”
Sasuke would have snorted at such a ludicrous idea, but he was far too ravenous to care about such idiotic sea superstitions.
He finished the bread roll in three bites and went to chase it down with what he had assumed to be water, only to cough and spit out the strange tasting liquid instead.
“Yeah, we lost most of our rum barrels in the storm, so the remainder has been watered down to cat-lap to make sure it lasts.” Kiba pushed off from the bars and leaned back against his dog that was standing behind him. “Tastes like shit, don’t it?”
Sasuke eyed the drink warily. It certainly did taste like shit. But even though Sasuke had never been much of a drinker, he suspected that whatever it was that had been diluted probably tasted like even stronger shit in the first place. Deciding he was far too thirsty to be picky, he downed the rest of the drink, paying no attention to the way Kiba’s jaw dropped and how even the dog somehow managed to look surprised.
Finishing up his cheese and fish, Sasuke wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “It was delicious,” he murmured in habitual gratitude.
Kiba snorted. “Congratulations. You’ve just become our chef’s newest favorite person.” He bent forward to fish a pair of shackles off the floor while reaching back to retrieve the key ring from the dog’s mouth. “Naruto scheduled you to see Yamato, the ship’s doctor and crew’s carpenter.” He unlocked the door and walked forward. “I’m guessing it’s to make sure you’re not suffering from any trauma thanks to being chained to a mast in the middle of a hurricane or, y’know, being kidnapped by pirates in the first place.”
Sasuke wordlessly held out his arms - not to be cuffed, but to show the state they were in - and Kiba’s eyes widened.
“Shit, we better get this checked out, too!”
The handcuffs were still put on regardless.
Led through the bunker to a different area of the ship’s belly, Sasuke did his best to memorize the path and piece together the vessel’s layout in his head. The knowledge would come in handy if he could ever gain the dog’s trust enough to hand over the keys.
Upon entering a long, decently sized cabin, Kiba motioned Sasuke toward a few chairs in the corner. Sasuke remained standing as Kiba flopped down, the dog imitating the action on the floor.
The room smelled strongly of herbs thanks to the numerous dried plants hanging from the ceiling, but underneath that was the scent of medicine and sawdust. The shelves were decorated with an odd assortment of tools and dusty jars and there were bits of scrap wood that had been littered just about anywhere there had been space. Every piece of furniture, from the shelves to the chair Kiba was sitting on, had been decorated with carvings that were both beautiful and odd. Sasuke’s attention would have been completely enraptured by the room if one of the two figures at the examining table in the middle of the cabin hadn’t spoken up.
“Why, yes, oh wise doctor, I do promise to take it easy after being intentionally skewered alive and not run around doing heavy lifting in the middle of a maelstrom!”
The other person, whom Sasuke belatedly realized was Neji, scowled. “The storm hit sooner than expected. I was needed.”
The doctor snorted and threw a bloodied cotton swab into the overflowing bucket at his feet. “You need to not do anything that will cause this wound to reopen.” He grabbed the jar that was sitting beside Neji and screwed it open, dipping his fingers into the salve. “If this gets infected, there’s nothing I can do, and amputation isn’t exactly an option.”
Neji’s lips pursed, but he sensibly remained silent.
“Yamato was born on a ship and has been sailing ever since,” Kiba conversed lowly as he tilted his chair back on two legs. “It’s pretty impossible not to pick up a trade when on a ship, so he’s naturally one hell of a carpenter.”
Sasuke turned his head to stare down at Kiba.
“But carpenters usually end up doubling as doctors on pirate ships,” Kiba continued, “so he’s made it a point to study local medicine practices at every port he can get shore leave for.”
Sasuke ‘hmm’ed in response, figuring he wasn’t about to doubt that tidbit of information as his gaze fell upon what looked like three dried out chicken carcasses hanging over the nearest porthole.
“Yep. So, naturally, he’s also one hell of an expert doctor. Without him, we never would have been able to pull off your kidnapping scheme.” Kiba gave a nod of acknowledgement to the two other men.
Sasuke’s eyes narrowed at the reminder.
“How long has Yamato been with the captain?” he asked, pushing aside his pride in favor of gathering more information.
“Dunno.” Kiba shrugged. “Well before my time, that’s for sure. Rumor has it the captain was a cabin boy on the same ship as Yamato way back when and years later, when the old man was forming his crew, he sought Yamato out. I dunno if the story’s true or not, but I do know the captain wouldn’t have agreed to Neji’s plan if he didn’t completely trust Yamato when he said he could keep him alive.”
“What about Neji?” Sasuke suddenly asked, watching the Hyuuga as Yamato finished wrapping his torso back up.
“What about him?” The front legs of the chair hit the ground with a thunk.
“When did he join-”
The question was cut off as Kiba abruptly stood and skipped forward to the examining table, leaving Sasuke standing where he was.
“Hey, I got a nasty splinter from one of the crates earlier!” Kiba proclaimed as he began rolling up his sleeve.
“Yeah, so?” Yamato barely spared him a glance, his gaze immediately sliding over to Sasuke.
“Well, I don’t want to risk amputation either!”
Even at his distance, Sasuke couldn’t help but think it looked more like a wooden stake had been driven up Kiba’s arm instead of some insignificant little splinter.
The sight of the injury caused Yamato to do a double take. “Holy-! You didn’t even take it out!” He abandoned Neji in favor of jumping up to dig through a nearby drawer.
“That’s because I didn’t want it to start bleeding all over the place!” Kiba argued, following the doctor. “I’m not going to die, am I?”
“No,” Yamato answered, producing an oversized pair of tweezers. “If you die, it will be by my hand because you’re a complete idiot when it comes to basic first aid.”
Realizing he had been as good as dismissed, Neji stood and finished tucking in the rest of the dressings himself.
Sasuke tensed as he deliberately approached, relaxing only minutely when he saw that Neji was only going for his discarded shirt on one of the chairs. The Hyuuga’s movements were slow and calculated and Sasuke hoped he was in a lot of pain.
Eyeing the approximate location of the wound, Sasuke recalled the way the white shirt had rapidly darkened with blood when the blade stabbed through.
“Is Hinata dead?” he asked.
Neji paused in the struggle to get his shirt over both arms.
“It was never in the plan to harm her,” he said after a moment. “After you left to chase after Naruto, she was blindfolded, dragged off to another part of the forest, and robbed of her shoes. At most she was probably deeply frightened and confused.”
Sasuke blinked. “Her shoes?”
“It was the only article of value she had with her at the time and it would have slowed her down long enough for us to make our escape.”
Even as anger boiled within Sasuke at how obviously well thought out the plan was, he couldn’t help but feel relieved at the weight that had been lifted off his chest. Hinata was not only alive but unharmed as well.
Relishing in the flood of various emotions as Neji finished getting dressed, a memory suddenly found itself at the forefront of Sasuke’s brain.
“What makes you think Itachi would go against our family to find me?”
The question caused Neji to stop just as he turned to walk out the door.
“Because I would do the same if it were Hinata in your position,” he answered, sounding surprised at the lack of faith Sasuke so obviously held for his elder protector.
Sasuke snorted in disbelief, a million different responses on the tip of his tongue. “Don’t compare my brother to you. You wouldn’t have even been around to try.”
Neji’s head cocked slightly, as if he wanted to turn back around to defend himself. Instead, he remained silent and left the room.
Next Chapter
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Nautical Nonsense: Cat-lap was the sailor's terminology for extremely weak, water-down rum.
TRUFAX: Pirates were (still are?) very superstitious. If a body was found dead after a certain period of time, they believed in the possibility of it becoming possessed by the devil. After the deceased's burial, they would auction off the person's old belongings, but would not use them until the ship's journey was complete. Why? Because it was bad luck.
And slightly off the topic of dead bodies, sailors adopted tattooing in the desire to assure identity in case of death by shipwreck or drowning. 8D The more you know~
Pairing: tbd Naruto/Sasuke
Rating: M16
Disclaimer: Anything you recognize from the Naruto-verse is Kishimoto’s. Everything else is mine.
Warnings: AU because this is a pirate story, and yaoi elements that may or may not focus on Naruto and Sasuke.
Summary: Kidnapped by pirates for an ability he does not possess, Sasuke Uchiha is swept into an adventure that has him leaving his old beliefs behind and questioning his future.
Previous Chapter
Chapter Three
The storm hit much sooner than expected. So much sooner that tomorrow still had yet to arrive. Hell, the sun never even had a chance to set. It just disappeared behind dark clouds that the helmsman swore appeared out of nowhere.
Much to his dismay, Sasuke was still on deck and chained to the mast, being pelted by a light rain that was really more of an annoyance than anything. But from the way the crew was running around and crawling over one another in an effort to follow orders as quickly as possible, one would think Doomsday was minutes away from approaching. There was no way this could be the maelstrom Neji had foreseen; it was far too early. However, the way the men were acting made Sasuke unsure.
As he observed the chaos around him, he noticed the crewmembers were constantly glancing over the prow. Curious as to what was out there that had everyone so spooked, Sasuke strained against his bonds to see around the pole to the front end of the ship and squinted as he tried to discern what he was looking at.
At first it appeared to be black thunderheads, so large and heavy that they rested on the sea itself. But then lightning sparked within the mass and gave Sasuke a better view.
The clouds were where they should have been, sitting high above the horizon in the sky. The thick darkness in between was fierce rain and wind. What made Sasuke’s blood run cold were the mountain ranges he saw within that he knew weren’t mountain ranges at all. They were waves that looked hungry enough to not only swallow boats, but entire islands as well.
And the ship was headed straight for them.
Sasuke frantically whirled around, putting the mast between himself and the awful sight. He refused to believe anyone was foolish enough to prefer facing that rather than fighting in a battle. Especially if they were pirates.
An echoed command of, “Get your lifelines ready!” had everyone abandoning their tasks and scrambling for the coils of rope that were lying about just as the vessel hit her first large wave. Sasuke’s stomach lurched as he realized it was probably too late to bargain with the captain to try and convince him to take the fight instead. They were already passed the point of return in outrunning the storm.
“Is it really almost dawn already?” one sailor yawned out as he tied the other end of his line to one of the numerous hooks jutting out from Sasuke’s mast. “I feel like I just fell asleep two hours ago…”
“Try more like one and a half,” Naruto snorted as he appeared by the man’s side to tie off his own rope. Numerous other crewmembers joined to secure their own lines and ignored the pair. “Neji was so far off on his prediction that we hadn’t even gotten around to securing any of the cargo.”
With a frown, Sasuke invited himself into the conversation. “It’s impossible for the Byakugan to see anything less than a guaranteed future!”
Both men stared.
“So…what? We’re going to hit a second storm during middle watch?”
“Or Neji was wrong,” Naruto countered, grabbing some extra rope from a passing crewmate. He turned back to the other man. “Shino, help get the last few barrels of gunpowder into their cradle below deck and make sure someone’s there to cover them with a canvas this time.”
With a nod, Shino gave his line a quick tug to make sure it was secure on its hook before jogging off to carry out the order.
Meanwhile, Naruto unraveled the rope and began to tie one end around Sasuke’s waist.
“It’s not a matter of Neji being wrong or not, it’s about the limited ability of the Byakugan-” Sasuke’s argument was cut off with a gasp as the rope was knotted too tightly around him.
“Listen and I’ll keep it simple for your land lubbing brain.” Naruto made no attempts to loosen the knot as he bent to tie the other end on a hook near their feet. “Neji is wrong. And that-” a finger went up to point at the storm they were sailing into, “-is proof.”
Another wave crashed into the ship and sent the world tilting sideways. Sasuke didn’t even have time to realize he was falling before he found himself being supported by a strong pair of arms.
“Try to keep your footing!” Naruto yelled just as the rain reached torrential levels. Anything that had been lucky enough to just be a little wet immediately became soaked.
Irked, Sasuke straightened and tossed his head back to sweep his bangs out of his eyes. He opened his mouth to tell Naruto where he could shove his footing, only to get a mouthful of water instead as another wave battered against the ship. The captive was swept off his feet and dangled by his chains as he watched numerous sailors ride the tide on deck until their bodies hit some immoveable force. As he struggled to upright himself, another wave knocked him right back down. Sasuke would have contemplated staying there if he wasn’t gritting his teeth against the amount of pain his metal cuffs were inducing upon his wrists.
After several attempts, he was finally able to return to a standing position and belatedly realized Naruto was no longer with him. Instinctively panicking, Sasuke looked around, trying to find the uncovered blond head that would reassure him the man he hated wasn’t dead. He spotted it almost instantly, helping another crewmate to his feet before another wave knocked the both of them over.
Feeling smug that he had managed to remain standing for that one, Sasuke decided to take the opportunity to at least make his torso more comfortable. Using his elbows he did his best to wiggle and push the rope around his waist up to the fleshier part of his midsection. Once satisfied, he wiped his bangs back and fought to keep his head up against the downpour so that he could observe what was going on around him on the deck.
The crew worked in an almost eerie silence, keeping their mouths shut tight as they went about rescuing anything that hadn’t been tied down tight enough the first time around. From the helm, the captain’s voice could barely be heard.
“Get Sai up - the cro - nest so I - amn sail! If that-ail won’t - ut it off!”
Knocked off his feet as the ship lurched in the opposite direction the waves had been coming from, Sasuke cried out in pain as his wrists took the full burden of his weight and twisted as his shoes slipped sideways along the deck.
He wasn’t given a chance to recover before a large hand grabbed the scruff of his shirt and hauled him to his feet. Keeping his head down so that his hair wouldn’t immediately stick to his face, Sasuke glanced over to see that his savior was the silver-haired man who had spoken up during Neji’s traitorous know-it-all explanation earlier.
Without waiting to see if the prisoner was alright, the man had moved on, echoing the relevant bits of the captain’s orders while barking out his own. It seemed as if Sasuke’s guess on authority had been right. The first mate, perhaps?
Sasuke wasn’t given a chance to ponder the thought as another wall of water washed over the deck. This time he was prepared, gripping his chains with his hands as his feet did all within their power to stay directly beneath him.
His hair was rapidly getting on his nerves, and he once again tossed his head back in an effort to get it out of his face. The action brought his attention to a splash of red and he looked down to find that his shirt sleeves were the source of the color, the iron cuffs having already rubbed his wrists raw enough to freely bleed.
For some reason, the sight caused Sasuke to shiver. Aside from knocking him out and pushing him around, the pirates had done him no real harm. They obviously intended to keep him alive for now and Sasuke believed himself to be clever enough to keep it that way if the tides ever changed.
But this was Mother Nature they were dealing with. There were no guarantees for survival in a storm like this. If Sasuke’s wrists were damaged from just a few falls, how well was the ship expected to hold up for the rest of the journey? His earlier words of “That’s suicide!” rang through his head, followed by the captain’s laughter. Dear God, he had been taken hostage by a group of mad pirates.
The wind carried down an alarmed shout from the crow’s nest. “Secure yourselves!”
The men broke their silence around Sasuke as they began cursing, scrambling for the closest immobile object they could hang on to. Naruto came skidding to a stop in front of the mast, yanking on all of the safety lines to ensure their knots held strong. He then shoved Sasuke into the tall wooden column and pinned him there with his body, his arms circling around Sasuke to firmly grab a hold of the hooks on his either side.
Speaking directly into Sasuke’s ear, Naruto ordered, “Hold your breath!”
Confused as to what exactly was going on, Sasuke looked over his shoulder and scowled as he found it impossible to see. Just then a flash of lightning illuminated the sky and outlined a giant wave towering over the ship.
Struck by a sense of vertigo as the vessel was lifted and began to dangerously tilt thanks to the sheer magnitude of the upsurge, Sasuke clung to the mast for dear life, shut his eyes and stopped breathing. He prayed they wouldn’t overturn even as the boat continued to tip.
The sudden rush of water muted out the storm as it tried to rip Sasuke away from the unyielding force that was Naruto. And then the pull stopped and for a terrifying moment Sasuke felt weightless as the vessel became one with the ocean. The feeling passed and the rush returned with vengeance, followed by the loud roar of the hurricane at full force.
Sasuke still refused to breathe even as he heard voices sound again before another wall of water washed over them. From somewhere nearby, the first mate yelled out an order that Naruto hurried off to follow. Sasuke didn’t budge from his position as he was left alone, gasping for breath only when he couldn’t hold it anymore.
For what felt like an eternity, Sasuke remained as he was, eyes screwed shut as the world spun around him. Wave after relentless wave hammered into the ship as the sea did everything within its power to drag whatever it could down to its murky depths. Sasuke’s muscles ached as he held onto the same hooks Naruto had grabbed earlier, keeping his body flush against the pole even when an undertow would drag his feet out from beneath him.
Don’t die, don’t die, don’t die. The silent mantra was more of a plea than anything and was being repeated with such conviction that it may as well have been directed not only at himself, but at the ship and her keepers, as well as whatever rescuing fleet that may or may not have been following them.
It was with a start that Sasuke came back to reality. His eyes snapped open as he realized it wasn’t a bit of random seaweed wrapping itself around his hand, but someone slowly trying to pry his fingers off of the iron hooks. He raised his head to see Naruto, who was staring at him with an unusual amount of gentle concern in his eyes.
“You okay?”
Sasuke looked around, unable to believe he was still alive. The storm around them had calmed considerably and lanterns were lit all around the deck to illuminate the night sky. Sailors wearily moved about, hoisting the sails and returning the jumble of ropes back to their original coils.
Realizing the man before him was still waiting for an answer, Sasuke dumbly nodded his head. He watched in silence as Naruto undid the line around his waist before freeing his wrists from their chains.
“Come on, the worst is over.” Naruto left the cuffs dangling on the mast in favor of carefully rolling up Sasuke’s bloodied sleeves so that his wounds would no longer be further agitated. “You can get some sleep in the brig.”
Unsure if he trusted his feet to work properly, Sasuke slowly followed Naruto and was startled to notice that he had to watch his step because the deck was nearly flooded with fish.
“Get Chouji up here to help sort these fish into barrels,” the first mate instructed. “Better put some in the tanks as well until we figure out where the hell we are and how far it is to the nearest safe port.”
A loud stomping caught everyone’s attention until they saw just who it was coming down the stairs from the bridge, causing them to quickly scuttle off to either help clean up the fish or find something else to do. The captain was very obviously in a foul mood.
“Someone,” he growled out, his eyes sweeping over the deck, “had better find Neji and tell him that the next time he gives bad weather predictions, the timing better be a hell of a lot better than this one was or he can expect to be boasting of his powers at the slave market. I want immediate inventory and damage reports! Everyone’s eyes had better be on the sky because as soon as those clouds clear and we can read the stars, I want to know our exact position!”
With that last order, the captain went to his quarters and slammed the door shut behind him.
From elsewhere on the deck, a loud sniffle was heard.
“Captain Minato is so amazing! He steered us safely through that entire storm, not leaving the wheel even once! And despite the exhaustion he must surely feel, he still gave us permission to interrupt his sleep, all for the sake of-”
“Gai,” the first mate interrupted. “Go gather the fish.”
As he left the deck, Sasuke felt cold and numb. But even in his near-dreamlike state, he couldn’t help but find the fact that they had not only survived Hell but obtained a long lasting food supply nothing short of a miracle.
After crossing through the crew’s sleeping quarters, Sasuke stopped short in the doorway, refusing to walk down the few steps that led to the brig. In the light of the lantern behind him, the floor glistened like the ocean - the place was flooded.
Peering over Sasuke’s shoulder, Naruto let out a disbelieving chuckle. “Uh, sorry. We’re always forgetting to fix the latch on the porthole in here, so everything tends to get wet during bad storms. I suppose we can put you in the galley…until…uhm…”
Sasuke sloshed forward, not really caring about what Naruto had to say. The water was only calf deep and he was already soaked to the bone. Entering his cell, he plopped down on the bench, a vague sense of irritation crossing his mind at how warm the puddle he was sitting in felt.
Frowning, Naruto hung the light in its designated spot and came forward, stopping just inside the cell door. “Hey, are you really alright?”
When Sasuke failed to answer right away, Naruto drew closer. “Hey.”
The proximity of the pirate’s hand waving in front of his face snapped Sasuke out of his daze.
“You can shove your footing so far up your bum that you choke on it.”
Naruto froze. “Up my what?”
“Bastard,” Sasuke growled, stubbornly looking away.
Naruto remained incredulous for a moment longer before he burst out laughing. “Yeah, you’re alright,” he said, shaking his head and heading back out of the prison, closing and locking the door behind him.
The ship was still on choppy waters despite passing the worst of the storm. While the unsteady rocking should have been nauseating, all it did was lull Sasuke to sleep.
*
Loud banging permeated through Sasuke’s dreamless rest. He ignored it as long as he could, but when it was joined by barking, he found he had no choice but to wake up.
Upon opening his eyes, he immediately noticed the cabin held a lighter tint, indicating it was not only daylight, but they had sailed well out of the storm’s range as well. He brought his hands up to rub the sleep from his eyes and the action caused the noises to finally stop.
“Oh, good!” Kiba happily proclaimed. “You’re alive.”
Sasuke ignored him and sat up, groaning as he momentarily forgot the place was flooded and dunked his feet without thought on their way to the floor. Grumbling about it seemed pointless. His clothes, after all, were still wet, sticking to his skin in a way that made him far more uncomfortable than submerged shoes ever could thanks to the heat and humidity. Wondering if he was expected to remain in his one outfit for the duration of the journey, he was distracted from his musings when a tray of food balancing on a floating bucket bumped against his leg.
From outside the prison, Kiba rested his arms against the bars above his head. “I would have handed it to you, but you were sleeping like the dead and I wasn’t about to risk being cursed by your body in the event that you really had kicked the bucket.”
Sasuke would have snorted at such a ludicrous idea, but he was far too ravenous to care about such idiotic sea superstitions.
He finished the bread roll in three bites and went to chase it down with what he had assumed to be water, only to cough and spit out the strange tasting liquid instead.
“Yeah, we lost most of our rum barrels in the storm, so the remainder has been watered down to cat-lap to make sure it lasts.” Kiba pushed off from the bars and leaned back against his dog that was standing behind him. “Tastes like shit, don’t it?”
Sasuke eyed the drink warily. It certainly did taste like shit. But even though Sasuke had never been much of a drinker, he suspected that whatever it was that had been diluted probably tasted like even stronger shit in the first place. Deciding he was far too thirsty to be picky, he downed the rest of the drink, paying no attention to the way Kiba’s jaw dropped and how even the dog somehow managed to look surprised.
Finishing up his cheese and fish, Sasuke wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “It was delicious,” he murmured in habitual gratitude.
Kiba snorted. “Congratulations. You’ve just become our chef’s newest favorite person.” He bent forward to fish a pair of shackles off the floor while reaching back to retrieve the key ring from the dog’s mouth. “Naruto scheduled you to see Yamato, the ship’s doctor and crew’s carpenter.” He unlocked the door and walked forward. “I’m guessing it’s to make sure you’re not suffering from any trauma thanks to being chained to a mast in the middle of a hurricane or, y’know, being kidnapped by pirates in the first place.”
Sasuke wordlessly held out his arms - not to be cuffed, but to show the state they were in - and Kiba’s eyes widened.
“Shit, we better get this checked out, too!”
The handcuffs were still put on regardless.
Led through the bunker to a different area of the ship’s belly, Sasuke did his best to memorize the path and piece together the vessel’s layout in his head. The knowledge would come in handy if he could ever gain the dog’s trust enough to hand over the keys.
Upon entering a long, decently sized cabin, Kiba motioned Sasuke toward a few chairs in the corner. Sasuke remained standing as Kiba flopped down, the dog imitating the action on the floor.
The room smelled strongly of herbs thanks to the numerous dried plants hanging from the ceiling, but underneath that was the scent of medicine and sawdust. The shelves were decorated with an odd assortment of tools and dusty jars and there were bits of scrap wood that had been littered just about anywhere there had been space. Every piece of furniture, from the shelves to the chair Kiba was sitting on, had been decorated with carvings that were both beautiful and odd. Sasuke’s attention would have been completely enraptured by the room if one of the two figures at the examining table in the middle of the cabin hadn’t spoken up.
“Why, yes, oh wise doctor, I do promise to take it easy after being intentionally skewered alive and not run around doing heavy lifting in the middle of a maelstrom!”
The other person, whom Sasuke belatedly realized was Neji, scowled. “The storm hit sooner than expected. I was needed.”
The doctor snorted and threw a bloodied cotton swab into the overflowing bucket at his feet. “You need to not do anything that will cause this wound to reopen.” He grabbed the jar that was sitting beside Neji and screwed it open, dipping his fingers into the salve. “If this gets infected, there’s nothing I can do, and amputation isn’t exactly an option.”
Neji’s lips pursed, but he sensibly remained silent.
“Yamato was born on a ship and has been sailing ever since,” Kiba conversed lowly as he tilted his chair back on two legs. “It’s pretty impossible not to pick up a trade when on a ship, so he’s naturally one hell of a carpenter.”
Sasuke turned his head to stare down at Kiba.
“But carpenters usually end up doubling as doctors on pirate ships,” Kiba continued, “so he’s made it a point to study local medicine practices at every port he can get shore leave for.”
Sasuke ‘hmm’ed in response, figuring he wasn’t about to doubt that tidbit of information as his gaze fell upon what looked like three dried out chicken carcasses hanging over the nearest porthole.
“Yep. So, naturally, he’s also one hell of an expert doctor. Without him, we never would have been able to pull off your kidnapping scheme.” Kiba gave a nod of acknowledgement to the two other men.
Sasuke’s eyes narrowed at the reminder.
“How long has Yamato been with the captain?” he asked, pushing aside his pride in favor of gathering more information.
“Dunno.” Kiba shrugged. “Well before my time, that’s for sure. Rumor has it the captain was a cabin boy on the same ship as Yamato way back when and years later, when the old man was forming his crew, he sought Yamato out. I dunno if the story’s true or not, but I do know the captain wouldn’t have agreed to Neji’s plan if he didn’t completely trust Yamato when he said he could keep him alive.”
“What about Neji?” Sasuke suddenly asked, watching the Hyuuga as Yamato finished wrapping his torso back up.
“What about him?” The front legs of the chair hit the ground with a thunk.
“When did he join-”
The question was cut off as Kiba abruptly stood and skipped forward to the examining table, leaving Sasuke standing where he was.
“Hey, I got a nasty splinter from one of the crates earlier!” Kiba proclaimed as he began rolling up his sleeve.
“Yeah, so?” Yamato barely spared him a glance, his gaze immediately sliding over to Sasuke.
“Well, I don’t want to risk amputation either!”
Even at his distance, Sasuke couldn’t help but think it looked more like a wooden stake had been driven up Kiba’s arm instead of some insignificant little splinter.
The sight of the injury caused Yamato to do a double take. “Holy-! You didn’t even take it out!” He abandoned Neji in favor of jumping up to dig through a nearby drawer.
“That’s because I didn’t want it to start bleeding all over the place!” Kiba argued, following the doctor. “I’m not going to die, am I?”
“No,” Yamato answered, producing an oversized pair of tweezers. “If you die, it will be by my hand because you’re a complete idiot when it comes to basic first aid.”
Realizing he had been as good as dismissed, Neji stood and finished tucking in the rest of the dressings himself.
Sasuke tensed as he deliberately approached, relaxing only minutely when he saw that Neji was only going for his discarded shirt on one of the chairs. The Hyuuga’s movements were slow and calculated and Sasuke hoped he was in a lot of pain.
Eyeing the approximate location of the wound, Sasuke recalled the way the white shirt had rapidly darkened with blood when the blade stabbed through.
“Is Hinata dead?” he asked.
Neji paused in the struggle to get his shirt over both arms.
“It was never in the plan to harm her,” he said after a moment. “After you left to chase after Naruto, she was blindfolded, dragged off to another part of the forest, and robbed of her shoes. At most she was probably deeply frightened and confused.”
Sasuke blinked. “Her shoes?”
“It was the only article of value she had with her at the time and it would have slowed her down long enough for us to make our escape.”
Even as anger boiled within Sasuke at how obviously well thought out the plan was, he couldn’t help but feel relieved at the weight that had been lifted off his chest. Hinata was not only alive but unharmed as well.
Relishing in the flood of various emotions as Neji finished getting dressed, a memory suddenly found itself at the forefront of Sasuke’s brain.
“What makes you think Itachi would go against our family to find me?”
The question caused Neji to stop just as he turned to walk out the door.
“Because I would do the same if it were Hinata in your position,” he answered, sounding surprised at the lack of faith Sasuke so obviously held for his elder protector.
Sasuke snorted in disbelief, a million different responses on the tip of his tongue. “Don’t compare my brother to you. You wouldn’t have even been around to try.”
Neji’s head cocked slightly, as if he wanted to turn back around to defend himself. Instead, he remained silent and left the room.
Next Chapter
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Nautical Nonsense: Cat-lap was the sailor's terminology for extremely weak, water-down rum.
TRUFAX: Pirates were (still are?) very superstitious. If a body was found dead after a certain period of time, they believed in the possibility of it becoming possessed by the devil. After the deceased's burial, they would auction off the person's old belongings, but would not use them until the ship's journey was complete. Why? Because it was bad luck.
And slightly off the topic of dead bodies, sailors adopted tattooing in the desire to assure identity in case of death by shipwreck or drowning. 8D The more you know~