.

We brought her into the looward wind

and made for the Caribbean

There was a storm brewing overhead. She could sense it in her very bones. Ten years on the open seas changed a woman—oh, how she loved the sea, the feel of it rocking gently underneath the boat like a mother's hand on a cradle; it felt like home to her more than anyplace ever had. The sea was powerful, spirited, and wholly free just as Sakura had always longed to be and she felt as though they shared a special sort of connection. She feared and respected it as an untamed force of nature had power to drown her on a whim, and she liked to imagine that in return she had earned a sort of 'sixth sense' about the weather. She could sense a summer squall miles away, before the first wispy, grey cloud had formed on the horizon.

She let out a long, tired sigh and sank into the chair behind her writing desk, over which countless maps and sea charts were spilled. Sakura made a cursory attempt to study them, reviewing the course she had intended to take to intercept a merchant vessel returning from India which would be full of gold and silks and spices (tip courtesy of Kakashi, as per usual) but she found it increasingly difficult to concentrate. Her fingers slid through her pink locks of hair and she considered the longish ends, wondering if she were due for another trim. Ino always cut her hair for her, but she didn't exactly feel like seeing Ino at present.

Ino had kissed Sasuke. She had kissed him right on the mouth, right out on the deck for all eyes to see as easily and naturally as if she had every right in the world to do so. Such a thing shouldn't have bothered her, but it had—so deeply that it was surprising. It was Lieutenant Uchiha's business where and on whom he chose to put his lips and Sakura had no business getting jealous. He was not beholden to her any longer. Their engagement had been severed ages ago, when the old Haruno Sakura had drown tragically in a pirate-related incident and he had been promised to the next pretty, subservient thing with a sizable dowry closely available to him. If anyone had the right to be upset surely it should be Hinata, but somehow Sakura doubted very much that the Hyuuga heiress would mind; she had eyes only for Naruto (it was an oddly-matched pair, yet somehow they suited each other nicely.)

Worse yet, he had seen her cry. She had clung to him and wept like a child, and those tears had been caused by him—because somehow the idea of him loving another woman, of him desiring another woman made her unbearably sad.

She liked to tell herself that it was only because she was concerned for Ino—she was upset because she didn't want her friend and crew-member to be deceived by a man who clearly hated them and would never belong. But in truth, she was just as angry with Ino as she'd been with Sasuke, perhaps even more so because Ino had been the one to kiss him. In fact, the Lieutenant had been rather blameless in the whole affair and she had acted truly abominably towards him.

But she was frustrated, she was sad, and she was hurt and she didn't understand why except for what Tsunade said, which kept floating back to her mind despite fervent attempts to perish the thought: love.

Sometimes it felt like she barely tolerated Uchiha Sasuke. True; he was handsome, smart, dedicated, wickedly talented with a sword, and loyal to a fault—but he was also proud and arrogant and ... and ... kind. He was selfless at the worst of times: charging in blindly to rescue his fiancee from a ship full of pirates when he'd been clearly outnumbered, stopping a sword with his bare hands from impaling her. His contrary personality put her at such maddening odds with herself. On occasion she secretly enjoyed their banter. It had been such a long time since she'd felt so mentally stimulated and challenged, both frustrated and amused, furious and alive. Yes, life aboard the ship Konoha had become much more exciting and lively since the arrival of the dashing Lieutenant—this much she could not deny.

A knock came at her cabin door, stirring her from her moment of contemplation, and she quickly wiped her loose white sleeve over her face to erase any evidence that she'd been crying. "Who is it? I'm busy." she barked.

Ino poked her head inside, looking apologetic. "Sakura, please..."

"Please what, Ino?" she turned to face the blond woman who had been her friend and companion these many years aboard the ship, and trying not to feel betrayed. She had no right to be betrayed. Sasuke wasn't her husband or her lover or anything else, no matter what certain unseemly rumours might have suggested to the contrary. "What do you want?"

"Just to talk to you." Ino said, slipping inside and shutting the door behind her. "To apologize. I was ... well, I was only trying to tease him a little ... but it was foolish and wrong of me and I'm sorry. I knew how you feel about him..."

"And how do I feel about him, exactly?" Sakura demanded, bristling. "Please inform me of it."

"Sakura." Ino giggle, unaffected by her prickly demeanour. "You're not fooling anybody. You're head-over-heels for him. I've never seen you have so much fun fighting with a man ... and then whenever you think he's not looking, you glow like the summer sun. It's obvious that you're in love."

Sakura paused then, her waspish denial dying on the tip of her tongue, features softening. Of course nobody could tell her what she felt, but if so many others seemed to be seeing something that she was not...

"Oh god." she breathed. "Am I really in love with him?"

"Pretty badly, I'd say. And I don't blame you. We've always had similar taste in men. But I know when I've lost, so I'll back down—besides, I rather like the looks of the new young man you've brought on board..."

"I ... but I can't love him. I hate him. That is precisely the opposite thing." Sakura reasoned in a last-ditch attempt to ignore her feelings.

"Oh, honey." Ino laughed, "The opposite of love is indifference. There is but a fine line between love and hate and you're dancing the tango back and forth across it. You can't help it. You've never met a man who can stand as your equal, so it's only natural that you want to stay by his side. Face it: you've let people go off the boat before when it's become obvious that they aren't interested in our lifestyle. What secrets can he possibly spill that will make matters more dangerous for us? We're already wanted by every vessel in the navy; you've kidnapped a noblewoman and two high-profile military officers, not to mention that you're the most famous pirate-lord in all the seven seas. Nobody cares that you're a woman or what your name is—in fact I think you'd be tickled pink if the whole world knew that you were both a woman and formerly a lady, because you love to cause a scandal. There's only one reason you won't let the Lieutenant go, and that's because you want him to stay."

She hated to say it, but Ino might have been right.

Chapter XII

Distant Shores

"Shh." I hissed, shooting a quick, furtive glance over my shoulder. We were alone, but one could never be to careful. Lee had a remarkable tendency to pop up at unwanted times and without warning. "Keep your voice down. I don't want to be overheard."

This 'Sai' was an officer, was he? I could not believe my luck; I was in desperate need of an ally and here one had come to me in the form of an undercover officer pretending that he wanted to try his luck working aboard a famous pirate ship. He must have been stationed at the port—I had never much believed in divine providence, not after what had become of my poor family, but this might have truly been a gift from God. What were the chances that we happened to dock at that particular trading port where he was stationed, and just as we were passing by that we should be recognized by this individual? Granted his method could have been vastly improved. Why he'd felt the need to stop me with a frying pan was a mystery; I could still feel the tender, sizable bump it had left on my head.

"Wait," I said as the thought came suddenly into my mind: "if it was your intention all along to help me, why did you impede me when I was trying to flee in the market rather than offering me aid?" And it was a good question. Perhaps my celebration was premature as I was not yet sure that I could trust this individual, ally and comrade-in-arms though he professed to be. If Naruto was any indication, not all officers were loyal to the military.

"I apologize, Lieutenant." Sai said. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

"Hn." I grunted, dissatisfied. "Well, you might have asked me for a spar at a better time, rather than calling me out in front of everyone on this ship."

"You'll have to forgive me, Lieutenant. I am ... somewhat lacking in the usual social graces. I had a peculiar upbringing."

"How...? Never mind." Truth be told I did not want to know. Everyone had a history and not everyone's was appropriate for small-talk; mine own definitely included. "Well then, Officer ... Sai—is that it? Do you not have a last name?" I preferred referring directly to others by their family names, as their Christian names seemed too familiar.

He gave me a strained-looking smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Just 'Sai' is fine. What are your orders, Lieutenant?"

I frowned, answered his question without too much pause. "For now, remain discreet. Sa—The Captain is unusually preoccupied with trust so do your best to obey her and make it seem like you genuinely came aboard to work as a member of her crew." Even if I had thought to lower my standards and do such a thing myself, at this point she never would have believed me. I had told her what I felt of pirates too many times for her to trust me, so earning her faith in order to get off this ship was not a viable option. "I want—I need my sword. It is an heirloom, and I do not wish to be parted from it. Furthermore the Captain and her crew are skilled fighters, and we will be getting nowhere if I do not have a weapon. She has given it to someone to hide—I don't know to whom."

"Reconnaissance." he said. "Yes, I think I understand. But even if we find you a weapon, Lieutenant, what are we to do afterwards? We're out on the open seas. Do we wait until the next time the ship reaches land?"

I had thought about this myself, naturally, but as of yet had not come up with a satisfactory solution. Which was odd; I was an excellent strategist and seldom without a plan, but this situation was ... complicated. Yes, it was complicated and required a certain degree of delicacy and patience. "We've just stopped to restock. I suspect we won't be seeing land for a while unless we take matters into our own hands."

"A bloody struggle." Sai concluded, seeming much too cheerful at the prospect. "I see. You wish to kill the Captain and the crew and take control of the ship."

"No." I snapped at him quickly. I might have been confident in my own abilities, but even I doubted that the two of us could take on a ship full or armed pirates. (Never mind that I had originally swung aboard the ship claiming that I could and would do that very thing; I had swiftly been proven wrong.) "No killing. The Captain remains unharmed. Her crew too, for that matter."

"But sir," Sai argued, "what difference does it make if we bring these vermin to justice here on the open seas or on land at the gallows? You do ... intend to bring these pirates to justice, do you not? The Captain may be a woman, but she is a pirate—one of the worst—and equal under the law. I will remind you that we are charged with upholding the law, Lieutenant."

"Do you normally speak to your superior officers in this manner?" I bit back sharply. For one thing, I did not know that I would call Sakura one of the 'worst' pirates. The name Captain Hokage may have been the scourge of the navy, but it was true that they were abnormally principled for pirates; their hands were clean of blood or other violence for the most part. They were thieves, yes, but ... Sakura was a nobleman's daughter and that would extend to her a certain degree of clemency. I might even be able to dress it in such a way that it hid the fact that she had been Captain of the ship, and instead make it appear that she had been another captive all along. As for the others, I didn't think that capital punishment was befitting of their crimes—not even Naruto, who I told on a daily basis that I wished to see him hang. "I know my duty well, Officer Sai. Do not question me, and do not harm a single hair on the Captain's head, am I understood? That is an order."

He bowed his head swiftly, deferring to my authority. "Yessir."

I heard the creak of footsteps on the stairs and quickly whipped around, stepping away from Sai so it wouldn't look so obvious that we were conspiring. Naruto was immediately identifiable by his shock of yellow hair (and predisposition to wear bright orange) and squinted at the two of us. "What are you two weirdos doing down here in a dark corner?"

"Kissing." Sai said without missing a beat.

Only once before had I desired so fully to slay another man with my own two hands.

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuh." Naruto expression became oddly blank and inscrutable and he began to retreat slowly, backwards up the wooden stairs. "Sorry ... for ... interrupting ... the ... Captain ... wants ... all ... hands ... ondeckgoodbyeIdidn'tseeanythingIswear."

He darted up the last few steps and was gone. I twisted towards Sai and shot him a glare so furious that it should have melted right through his skull. "Was that necessary?" I demanded.

"Apologies." he answered, seemingly unembarrassed by his impulsive lie. "As I have mentioned, I am somewhat lacking in the usual social graces."

Oh God. Naruto was going to tell. Everyone. Hinata—Sakura.

"I'll deal with you later." I said through tightly grit teeth. "Let's go before our continued absence makes it worse."

I ran above the deck taking the stairs two at a time, flustered and agitated, while Sai followed calmly behind me. The reasons why we were being summoned became quickly apparent: grey clouds were forming rapidly overhead and thunder crackled on the horizon. It looked like there was going to be a terrible storm. Sakura stood by the helm, hands on her hips, looking drier-eyed than the last time I had seen her, tall and effortlessly authoritative as she called out: "I want everything tied down nice and tight! We're going to wait this storm out. Hurry, lads. It'll be coming on us quickly!"

She wasn't mistaken. It wasn't long before it began to spit, then drizzle, and then the skies opened up and poured down on us, freezing cold rain drops thick as bullets pelting our backs as the crew worked quickly and effectively to secure the sails and prepare the ship to ride out the storm. As I tied a final knot and yanked it tight, the wind picked up and the rising crests of the waves crashed against the side of the boat, sending up a salty spray and soaking me to the bone. I spluttered and wiped at my face though it did me little good; my sleeve was sopping wet.

"Alright! That's it! We're done!" Sakura shouted over the roaring din of the tumultuous sea; if I wasn't mistaken I thought she might have been laughing. "Everyone back to their cots before we all catch our deaths in this rain!"

No one protested and the crew dispersed, scurrying quickly below deck to escape the growing storm. I supposed that meant that I was to return to her cabin with her, though after the events of earlier that afternoon I wasn't eager to be alone with her so soon. I was, however, eager to be out of the rain so I didn't hesitate for long before chasing her inside of the Captain's cabin, drenched from head to toe when at last I finally made it inside and slammed the door shut behind me. I was right, I realized as I stood there, blinking fat water droplets out of my eyelashes and wringing out my shirt: she laughed breezily as she shook her hair out like a dog, her green eyes bright and full of energy. Her clothes were as wet as mine, the white of her shirt now practically see-through and clinging to her skin so I could see dark outline of the loosely-bound corset she wore underneath. Her hair was damp and clung in wet, pink wisps to her cheeks. Rain-soaked and laughing, she was painfully beautiful.

"Are you quite mad?" I asked.

She glanced at me as she twisted her hair over her shoulder, wringing out water onto the floor of the cabin. "Yes." she replied simply. "Since you asked. I've recently come to the conclusion that I've lost my mind."

"Only recently?" I quipped, quirking a brow.

She smiled. There was something strange about all of this. Were all women so? Crying one moment, hitting me the next, and now smiling like she had some great secret? Judging by the fact that I had neither been slapped a third time today nor laughed at mercilessly, Naruto had not repeated what Sai claimed we had been doing in the kitchen.

"I'm going to put on some dry clothes." Sakura told me. "Turn around and don't look or I'll tie you to the mast and let the storm have its way with you."

I should have offered to wait outside. It would have been the gentlemanly thing to do. But the boat had begun to rock harder and the wind whistled outside the door; one hard lurch and I could be sent flying over the railing and into the dark, crashing depths below and this time I could not count on Sakura to dive in after me because we would both drown and that would be that. So I turned around and faced the door, feeling my cheeks blaze red at the thought of her taking off her clothes just feet away from me. It seemed to last an unbearable eternity and I tried desperately not to think about what she looked like stripped of her wet clothes: bare skin glistening with water, the delicate, feminine curve of her shoulders and neck, the swell of her breasts...

"Done." she said finally, and I turned back. She had put on a pair of simple cotton clothes and sat on her bed, combing through her wet hair with her fingers. Not naked. Much better.

"I'll need to change into something dry as well." I said and she looked up at me with a look of feigned innocence before waving at me to go on. "Funny. Suit yourself, but don't blame me if you get an eyeful."

I peeled my damp shirt off over my head and she mimed fanning herself.

"Indecorous woman." I mumbled, feeling curiously abashed at the way her eyes roamed over my bare chest. "Don't you have any shame?"

"I'm sorry," she said, a smile curling her pink lips as she sat back and eyed me smugly. "Was I supposed to swoon? Squeal and blush and avert my maiden eyes?"

"Yes." I answered her impatiently. "I am a man, you know. I am also a gentleman so you are fortunate that I do not take advantage of your carelessness, but other men would not be so generous. You insist that I stay in your cabin where you sleep, take off your clothes when I am standing mere feet away and then stare wantonly when I take off mine. If I did not know better I'd think you were trying to entice me. I can only take so much teasing before I start to believe that you are in earnest."

She sat up straighter, squaring her shoulders and meeting my eye. Must she be so contrary about absolutely everything? I was only trying to give her some much-needed caution. "And I suppose you are just dying to ravish me at the first available opportunity like the beastly man that you are?"

"Perhaps." I rested the hand on the top button of my trousers, making deliberate eye contact as I undid it slowly, revealing a little triangle of skin and a thin trail of dark hair leading downwards.

Pause. It was a battle of wills and we waited—I for her to look away, and her for me to admit I was putting up a front.

She won—my hard-ingrained sense of decency got the better of me. I sighed. "Just turn away, please."

"False bravado as usual." she gloated. "You wouldn't put a hand on me if I begged. You can't stand me. The Great Lieutenant Uchiha would never lower himself to the likes of pirate scum."

But she rolled over so she was face-down on the mattress, and I turned away and continued to undress, pulling a clean, dry set of clothes from the little chest of belongings that had been supplied to me and putting them on. "There." I said. "You may un-avert your maiden eyes."

"Who says that I have maiden eyes, anyway?" she inquired, turning her face to the side and peeking up at me. "Don't make assumptions."

I pursed my lips, somehow annoyed by the thought that she had slept with another man—perhaps even several. True, she very clearly wasn't interested in upholding societal standards of morality and decency, but she ... she what? What was it that irritated me so about the thought of her with someone else?

"It's none of my business." I said, but inwardly I wondered: who? Had it been her energetic first mate, Naruto? The cook, Lee?

There was a long silence. I sat down on my cot and listened to the wailing of the storm outside. Thunder crashed nearby and the boat rocked hard. She sat up suddenly and looked at me across the cabin. "You didn't correct me. When I said that you wouldn't touch me if I asked. When I said that you couldn't stand me. Is that the truth?"

I glanced to the side. My face felt hot. Just what exactly was she trying to say? When I did not answer her immediately she stood up and walked across the space towards me, standing just in front of my cot. I felt keenly aware of her closeness and the closed space in which we were. Did she really not have a shred of self-awareness?

"Have you been drinking?" I asked her cautiously.

"No." she said. A hand came out and touched my cheek which was slightly swollen and red from where she'd slapped me—twice. I flinched, both because I was surprised and because it stung. "You'd be right to hate me. I've treated you monstrously."

"You have." I agreed, lifting my eyes to look up at her. And when our gazes met there was something—I couldn't quite identify what, but it was like a match had been struck and lit us both aflame. The tension that had been gradually building between us broke, and my arms went out and caught her around the waist, pulling her in towards me—or perhaps she had simply fallen into me, I couldn't be sure. Our lips met in a frantic dance, her hands tangled in my wet hair and my tongue swept the seam of her lips. My heart hammered in my chest and I couldn't summon a single coherent thought—if I had I would have realized that what I was doing was wrong and foolish, but I could not because in that moment there was only her, her and the fire consuming us both. I wanted her. I wanted this beautiful, wild creature. Maybe I needed her, but I knew with a certainty that I wanted her.

"Sasuke." she panted, and her lips slanted more urgently over mine. Her body was warm and soft, pressed flush against mine. I let out a quiet groan, feeling my desire swell to a dangerous peak. "Sasuke."

"What?" I breathed against her mouth.

"I'm cold." she said. "Will you warm me up?"

A flutter of panic broke through then, threatening to drag me back to reality: this is wrong.

I'm engaged to another woman.

We're not married.

She's a pirate.

"Yes." I said, as the last of my reason flew out the porthole and was torn apart in the raging storm.

For thoughts of what it might have been

Destroys a human being

A/N: So I've actually been pretty hesitant to update Yoho despite a fair number of people requesting that I continue with it, and here's why:

Male rape is not funny. Re-reading this, it genuinely bothers me how I played it as a running gag for laughs when it's actually a serious issue that is too-often ignored precisely for the reason that uneducated people-like the me of 8 years ago-think that it's a joke. The way that Sasuke is treated in a lot of these chapters is pretty damn demeaning and it's a horrendous double-standard. Not to mention that the characters are both pretty OOC, I've completely forgotten what I had planned to do with the story, and etc.

Well, here's the chapter, after a good long wait. It's a juicy one, too. Hmm, I wonder if I'll have to change the rating? Anyway, if you like it leave me a review. I straight up live off of reviews. They fuel my writing.