title: mortal
summary: Sasuke smirked. Not just at the breath-taking beauty, or the embarrassment on her face, but at the way she looked at him—her eyes were like sharp daggers that she would have relentlessly plunged into his chest if she ever got the chance. —SasukeSakura.
genres: fantasy, romance
theme: AU
prompt: "What are you so desperate for?"
rating: T
disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Amused. He was amused and his handsome face was twisted in a dark smirk.

The young king sat on his throne as his three most trusted advisers stood before him, their heads bowed. They had their right arm diagonally crossing their chests, a symbol of servitude to the Uchiha monarch.

Karin, a woman with ruby red hair stepped forward and lifted her head. "The royal guards were patrolling the docks when they came across her, Sasuke-sama. She asked to be brought to the palace. She requested and audience with your highness."

Sasuke listened while staring at the big tank that Jugo, the adviser to the right of Karin, and seven palace guards had carried in. The tank was covered by a large black cloth that cloaked whatever it held. "Show me," was the terse order. Suigetsu, the adviser to Karin's left rose from his bow and in one fluid movement, stripped the tank of the ebony fabric.

The guards that lined the sides of the king's throne room momentarily lost their stoic expressions. They made no comment aloud, but all portrayed a sucking in of breath and struggled to look away—to no avail.

Sasuke dismissed the guards.

Karin waited till the men shuffled out rather unwillingly, before parting her lips to say something. She froze when the king stepped down from his throne and approached the tank.

A mermaid was inside.

A mermaid with long, shimmering pink hair that flowed down the length of her back and met with her waist. A mermaid with eyes the color of emeralds and jades and a long tail with scales of numerous shades of green—greens that have never been seen, greens that have never been named. Her soft pink lips were drawn into a thin line as her arms were crossed sternly over her chest as she tried to hide her breasts.

Sasuke smirked. Not just at the breath-taking beauty, or the embarrassment on her face, but at the way she looked at him—her eyes were like sharp daggers that she would have relentlessly plunged into his chest if she ever had the chance.

The king started loosening his cape. Karin watched in horror as he folded the navy blue cape loosely and then lightly tossed it into the tank. Then the king turned away, motioning for the other three to courteously do the same.

"Sasuke-sama, I would strongly urge you to—" Karin stopped, stunned, at the king's lifted hand.

Sasuke turned back. The mermaid had wrapped herself nicely up in his cape. She still had a fixed glare on him but he didn't particularly mind her whole-hearted attention.

"Do you care to come to the surface?" It was more of a demand than a proposal.

With a flick of her green tail, the mermaid reached the top of the open tank. She clutched tightly on the cape wrapped around her to keep it in place. "I have a request," and her soft, silky voice left her wet lips.

"Sasuke-sama, it's dangerous to hear her voice so directly. At the very least—" Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Karin. "Are you saying I can't handle being in the presences of a mermaid?" his voice was dangerously calm. Suigetsu shook his head, sending a glare to Karin. The woman lowered her head. "I did not mean it that way, Sasuke-sama. Please forgive my careless speech."

Sasuke ignored the apology.

"What is your request?"

The mermaid looked him directly in the eyes—her green eyes unfaltering to the pitch blackness that was his. "Please release Uzumaki Naruto."

There was silence.

Then, a booming laugh. It was not joyous, but playful—teasing. "You want me to release the Sea Prince?" the king inquired with a smirking, hateful look. His eyes were wild, hunting. "And what is it that you could give to me?" he probed. "What could I possibly gain from you that I would release that foul creature back into the sea?" The laugh was wicked, sadistic.

The mermaid tightened her jaw at the mockery.

She then loosened the cape and lowered it just enough.

"Holy shit," Suigetsu breathed. Jugo corrected him beneath his breath. "You mean, holy saint."

The king looked at the pink mark above the mermaid's right breast. The mark of a priestess.

"Go on then," he said, acknowledging her. "What are you offering?"

"My name is Haruno Sakura." She pulled the cape back up. "Though your childish mockery was off-putting," Karin growled from behind Sasuke, who only smirked, "I'll forgive your rudeness as you are at least educated enough to know the mark of a priestess."

"How do we know it's even real?"

Sasuke nodded at Suigetsu's question—it was a surprise that it came from the guy who openly cursed in front of the king.

The mermaid narrowed her eyes. "If you want to check its authenticity for yourself," she said to Suigetsu, "go ahead." Her voice was low and daring. "I believe it's real," Sasuke assured, before his idiot adviser actually began considering the sarcastic proposal.

Sakura nodded. "What I am offering is a wish," she said.

Sasuke smirked, shaking his head. His mocking tone returned. "As you have kindly forgiven me for my earlier rudeness, I too, will overlook the fact that you've disrespected me in my own court." She was silent. "We both know that the Sea Prince is worth more than a single wish." The king then looked into her faltering eyes. "And we both know, you have more to offer."

She looked away, somewhere above his head, avoiding the blackness that coated his eyes and ate up his heart. "Then, what is it that you want?" she said through gritted teeth.

Sasuke took a step forward, closer to the tank. "What are you so desperate for?" he probed teasingly as she did not meet his face. "Why have you come here, trading your rare bloodline for a useless princess who was captured so pitifully?"

She lunged.

Sakura pushed herself out from the tank with a flick of her tail and fell into the king. Her hands no longer clutched the navy blue cape, but gripped tightly around Sasuke's throat.

"And who was the underhanded king who used his own cousin to lure Naruto out?" Suigetsu and Jugo had grabbed her at once, but they had difficultly tearing her hands away. "You heartless bastard! You could've used their love to unite the land and sea, but out of your own selfish greed, you decided to exploit our race by holding the captured king over our heads!" Finally, Suigetsu just said, "Fuck it," and pulled down the cape.

Sakura released her grasp. Though choking, Sasuke turned away when the cape fell. Jugo let go of the mermaid's arm and covered his eyes while Karin just shook her head.

Suigetsu was the only one openly staring as Sakura grabbed for the cape.

Which was quickly kicked out of her reach.

There was a glow.

The transformation was slow, brilliant.

Even Sasuke turned to look at the light—only the light.

The scales of every shade of green slowly evaporated into the air of the king's court. For a while, the bottom half of her body was concealed by a misty fog. Then, toes appeared, two full human legs, and—

All four looked away and Suigetsu ran to kick the cape back in Sakura's general direction. "Idiot," was said by the other three.

The four faced away from her while there was rustling of cloth. When silence filled the room, Sasuke turned first, followed by the advisers.

The king lifted his brow, expecting an explanation. Suigetsu pulled out the ridiculously long sword from its sheath on his back and swung it precariously—somehow, by some means of a miracle, it stopped beneath the mermaid's throat. "When your kind is out of water, aren't you supposed to suffocate and shrivel up in misery? Why the hell did that," he took his sword and pointed it at her legs, "happen?"

Karin kicked her legs. "They're real," the redhead said blankly, though the kick was really just out of spite.

Sakura glared at her. Then she turned to Suigetsu, ignoring the blade that was pointed into her throat. "Put me in the water."

Suigetsu sighed and obediently put up his sword. He made an approach to Sakura but was stopped by the king's outstretched hand.

"Your explanation," Sasuke demanded. The mermaid narrowed her eyes at him. "Or we'll have to see if the same thing happens to your Sea Prince."

Her entire body shook with anger, but her eyes were different—they were scared for Naruto. How sickening.

"Humans only know what's written in history books and travel journals," she replied with bitterness. "If a normal Mer person, like Naruto, were to leave the water, he would indeed suffocate—this knowledge is written in the travel journals of mermaid hunters and retold by word-of-mouth. However, catching a Mer person of the priestess bloodline is rare—once in a thousand lifetimes, rare. Therefore, humans know very little of us."

"Hold up. That's not right though." Suigetsu spoke up again, shaking his head. "When I was ten, I remember Zabuza caught one, a priestess," he explained, bringing up the mermaid hunter who raised him. "Zabuza thought that because she was a priestess, a protector of her kind, that she would be different—have a way to keep herself alive. But that day, she died. Gasping like a fish out of water. How come," he looked at Sakura squarely, "you're perfectly fine?"

"Put me back in the water."

"Tell me and I'll put you back."

Sakura sighed.

"It's a sin." It was a whisper.

"What?"

The three others waited quietly, allowing Suigetsu to handle the interrogation.

Sakura turned to the king. Her eyes watered and her teeth were tight against her jaw. "It's a sin," she repeated, louder. "It's a sin for a mermaid of the priestess bloodline to let a human see her. It is a disgrace to our race to be seen by the greedy eyes of humans. It taints us and we are damned." She turned back to Suigetsu. "Only by stopping our own hearts can we be washed of our sin and become foam that returns to the sea."

"Then—"

Sakura took a breath, a few tears spilled down her hot cheeks and then she bowed—she bowed low and wholeheartedly, like she was bowing to her own god. Like she was bowing to save her people.

She was at Sasuke feet.

"For me to reveal myself to humans and ask to see you, a king among the humans, is a sin that can never be reversed. I have betrayed my bloodline for committing this unthinkable act and will never be forgiven. I am willing to lower myself and beg for the release of the Sea Prince. I will grant you your wishes till I run dry. Just please," it was a pitiful, submitting cry, "release Naruto."

"What are you wanting to accomplish?" the king asked. "What is it that you are so desperate for?"

Sakura was solemn. She lifted her head high—though she was bowing to him, Sasuke felt that they were on leveled ground.

"He is the hope for my people.
They don't need a priestess to pray for them.
They need a king to lead them.
They don't need faith.
They need life."

A stillness settled in.

Sasuke stared right into the mermaid's watery, fierce, self-sacrificing green eyes.

"One last question."

"What."

"Why do you need to return to the water when you have legs?"

"Because every. Single. Second. I stay in this revolting form, I become more human. Don't you know?" she asked, looking at the four of them, "The greatest punishment to befall our kind is to be turned into something as sickening and ugly as the mortals who walk the lands."

Sasuke smirked.

He walked over to Suigetsu and took the adviser's sword. With a single 'swish' the steel hit glass and the tank shattered, raining glass and spilling sea water.

Sakura watched in horror.

"I will release your precious prince." Sasuke turned back to face the group, his eyes flickering a red that wasn't there before. He looked directly into Sakura's emerald irises. "But in return, my first wish is for you to become the thing you hate most."

He pushed the sword back to Suigetsu and walked over to her shivering body. He pulled her up by the arm and held her close against his chest—her legs shook, a new part of her that she never asked for. Then the king whispered into her ear, "I'm going to make you greedy, yearning for your release. I'm going to make selfish—you'll only think of me, of killing me and satisfying your own hatred. And then," he lowered his voice, breathing onto her skin, "I'm going to make you ugly, as you hate yourself for falling in love with the man who made you human."

fin.