endless_scrolls (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
endless_scrolls) wrote2008-07-04 12:38 pm
endless_scrolls) wrote2008-07-04 12:38 pm
Entry tags:
Log: ES Under the Waterfall, Part 2
Title: Under the Waterfall, Part 2
Type: RP log
Fandom: AU!Naruto
Character(s): Tenten, Sabaku no Gaara
Pairing(s): Faint hints of GaaTen (hey, they're only children >___>;)
Warning(s): None
Disclaimer: I own only the part that I played in this.
Note: Log originally posted November 25, 2007 for the![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
eternalsea RP comm. In this, Tenten is 15 and Gaara is 13. Part two of THIS log.
Dedicated to: Ninja Pirates. Everywhere~
No words could describe the unbelievable uplift in his heart, not one person on the boy's travels had anyone ever wanted to spend time with him in such a way. It was true he came here alone to think when ever the merchants ship made port to be alone, without the hustle and bustle of people, engulfed in their own self satisfactions. It was true that he came here to avoid further confrontations, to hide from the world he had lived his entire life. But to have someone like her, someone whom knew the importance of the written word to enjoy it as he did was a rare find.
"Sometimes it gets lonely, having someone once and a while isn't a bad thing." He assured her, between labored breaths as he made his way higher and higher, turning occasionally to offer a hand to see if she needed his help. "Besides, I person can go insane with too much silence." He stared down at her, tugging her up to the final rock that would lead them into the damp hollows of a cavern behind the falls. His words were truth, he had not known to what extent it would until his adult years.
He took his first step inside, hearing loud echo ringing through his ears of the water rushing, slapping against the surface of the rocks. The cavern despite being slightly darker than the outside world, was still very much in it's own natural beauty. The different tropical flowers, angling down from the entrance, and scattered throughout, like a curtain of rainbow colors ranging from pink to purple and yellows. Vines of lush green stemmed from everywhere fit for a fairy's dwelling, and the reflection of the sun passing through the clear flow of water casting a shadow leaving much of the small sanctuary visible to the human eye.
"Watch your step." His voice bounced off the walls in a hallow echo. "It's slippery in some parts.
She took his help when it was needed, but most of the journey was made on her own strength and skill, always refusing to portray the weaker role many would expect of her even though she knew he was offering more out of kindness and courtesy than a lack of faith in her ability to keep herself out of danger. What, in all the time she had been with their crew, had she done to prove herself and earn that sort of respect from them? Nothing save a nightly reading from her books with added flare and entertainment for the crew, something of little worth when it came to the pirate career that was to be her inherited legacy. She was more than that. But if not for her father's reputation, she doubted that she would have even been gotten the opportunity of their consideration in the first place. And where would that have taken her then? "I know what you mean..."
His hands were rough when she took them in her grasp, not unlike her own but of a different variety. While hers were sculpted through the practiced use of weaponry and combat, his were molded through years of a hard day's work on the ship, earning his keep alongside the crew like a indentured servant instead of the son of the Captain. And the demanding labor had done well for the muscles in his lithe body, feeling him lift her up with the greatest of ease for the last time as they came upon the entrance to the cave that existed behind the falls, the sound of the water crashing against the rocks below amplified by the hollow curve in the back.
A spray of water misted her hair and skin with tiny droplets as she entered silently, taking in the hidden beauty that laid beyond the elegance of the falls and the dangers of the rocks below should one be careless enough to slip on the mossy edges. And then came the smell from the flowers that carpeted the ground and walls, stealing her breath and leaving her to stand in awe of the mystical and somewhat magical dwelling. "Amazing..."
"Yes," He answered, reaching is hand out under the falls, letting the forceful rush pound against the dirt that and made a home in ever fold and crease of his skin. “Utopia..." The last word came out more of a shy whisper to himself, turning his eyes upward to the ceiling of the cavern, laced with green vines extending in an artistic twist of contrast against the darker walls. Rubbing his fingers together before pulling a clean hand back out. He paused a moment shifting a gaze to her from the corner of his eye.
Her eyes wide in amazement, the delicate lift of her hair as it swirled around her like a draping curtain swaying in the light breeze. The daughter of a pirate lord, what did it mean exactly to them to take on such a life of dishonesty, blood, booze and riches. But to look upon a man of great power as her father was, Gaara could not help but want to dig into the meaning of a pirates life further. He would look for books the next time he is in Trinidad, hopefully he would be able to slip past the book keeper again without detection.
He hesitated a minute his hand shaking reaching behind his back punching the fabric of his off white shirt, a natural reaction as he had done it many times before without the presents of anyone around to visually pray upon his bare skin. But she had known regardless, anyone whom worked on the ship knew so there was not much point in hiding it. With a swift tug the shirt pealed off and tossed to a dry rock. Wincing slightly at the sticking fabric of the dry blood that had linked the two together, opened the wounds once more. He pressed his lips together, embarrassed to show her pretty almond shaped eyes such things, he half wondered when she turned to see him would she turn away in disgust? Laugh at the scraps and bruises of his weaknesses?
Everything seemed to sparkle and shine with the light refracting against the crystal clear water of the falls that fell in sheets over the lip of the rocks to cover the mouth of the cave paradise and stand as a sort of fourth wall. Small rainbowed-tainted beams decorated the walls to further add to the elegance of the scene before her eyes. The fast rush created a soft breeze where the wind otherwise would not have been able to reach beyond the barrier of water, rustling the light fabric of her dress and giving a gentle sway to every vine, petal, and stem preserved within this bubble of beauty. Truly this was an untold paradise hidden from the world and created for only those brave enough to risk all in order to stand a witness to it.
She knelt down in a bed of flowers, and caressed the vibrant garden of colors in the petals, feeling the softness. She leaned in to smell the sweetness of their nectar, closing her eyes to better envision the life that they had lived in secret in this once forgotten patch of wonderment. So much like her own life, she noted. Always hidden behind a veil of secrecy, they were kept from the harsh dangers of the world by the falls, like a protective father looking after his charges. But in that one act, they were also cut off from the grand adventure that the outer world would have to offer, forever trapped and allowed to be seen by a selected few.
It was then as she turned to pose a question to the young boy that she saw him pull off thick fabric of his shirt to reveal the harsh imperfections of the night before that were hidden underneath. Her eyes widened just a fraction in shock at the scars and welts, but she kept any verbal reaction to herself, only allowing a small and soundless gasp to escape past her lips at the sight. His skin was riddled with deep red cuts and scrapes, some still bleeding or reopened from the movements he had made in taking off his shirt she supposed. She had seen enough blood and injuries in her lifetime fore it was she who tended to the injured men on her father's ship, being well versed in the healing arts from her time in China (tea and herbs held great healing properties as well as served to make a tasty refreshment for weary travelers). But never in one quite so young and so undeserving.
She reached out a hand as if to touch those marks, and perhaps offer to help heal them, but quickly pulled away. And for the briefest of moments, earthy brown eyes locked with the hard gaze of jaded stone before she pulled away, not out of discuss but for his sake of privacy. "I'm sorry...I shouldn't stare..."
He stood in awe of her, hardly even noting the way she was moving slowly towards him with a stunned look in those beautiful eyes of hers. She looked like a angel in the garden of Eden, or so he had read in a few different stories of such things. The bible was one considering it was the main source of reading for the crew, possibly the only book they knew of enough to pick out words here and there. Gaara had read through the book himself, finding it interesting in the section of revelations and the second coming of the son of God. Another myth, a story to entertain the hopes of man in their afterlife another way of controlling their minds with fear of a higher power.
He tilted his head to stare blankly at her words for a moment, thinking of how to answer. After all many of the crew knew of what went on, seeing much to the damage to his outside shell and spirit from within. But, Gaara just figured he'd deserved whatever was handed, it was his fathers way of showing he cared? Wasn't it? He had read of different kinds of love maybe this was just it's own type that has not been written about.
"Well," He shrugged "It doesn't hurt all that much. They will be gone in a few days, although bones take a little longer... I can usually heal quite fast." He assured her. He mouth pouted to the side in thought. "How long does it take for you to recover after you get struck?" It was a rather innocent question, almost naive and childish of him. But he'd honestly figured if he was going through such trauma because his father loved and wanted him to becoming stronger, a better seaman... He could only imagine what Tenten had to go through being a pirates daughter and all. But the look of her glowing skin, soft looking and pale to the reflection of the sun passing through a wall of water, she looked as through she had never been touched by man in a violent way, even looking as if never fallen and scrapped a knee while playing. This making the small red head all the more confused.
He looked so small, or perhaps it was just a new perspective of Gaara that made him look a bit more diminished than before. The way he responded to her reaction was so innocent and casual, as if the whole of his back weren't ripped to shreds and left to heal on its own with no medicine or aid to help it heal faster. Blood still beaded out from his wound, reopened when he had moved to strip off his shirt, she supposed as she eyed the dried crimson blots on his shirt. And for him to talk about it so nonchalantly as he did only told of the frequency that these incidents occurred. Only one accustomed to routine found no fault in the actions.
The question that had been lingering on her lips died at the sight of it, and a new one came swooping in to take it's place. "But...how could that not hurt?"
She took a cautious step forward and held out her hand to him once more, slow so as not to alarm him and giving the young boy every chance to move away if he did not wish for her to touch him. Pausing once again, she looked into his watching eyes one last time before letting her fingers lightly brush, barely touching along the tattered skin of his back. Her brows furrowed when she felt the bumps and welts that covered the expanse of it, and slid over the new blood slowly collecting on the surface to replace the scabs that had been ripped off with his shirt.
He paused himself a moment in thought to her question, mauling it over in his head. He had nearly forgot she was even there he was so lost in how to answer. It did hurt, small needled of pain tingling through each wound as the blood ooze to the surface in self heal. The bruises a dull ache even as her delicate fingers brushed over his back he had found himself flinching against the non threatening touch. His frame shivering slightly, nervous but willing to allow her to explore his pain as she pleased.
"You learn to block out pain after awhile." He stated idly, with the slightest of quiver in his voice, still very much unsure still flashes in his mind of the events that would happen if they were found at this very second. "like I said, it will be gone in a few days and it will look as though I had not been touched. The only thing he had given me that scared my body pertinently was..." He stopped in mid sentence before drawing his fingers to graze over the course skin above his left eye. "Is this. Now that was painful." He followed trying to sound a little more light hearted, but failing miserably.
The stray strands of her hair fluttered wavered about her face, dancing to the gust of wind from the falls they knelt beside, behind in this hidden world that was just a small piece of paradise in the middle of all the chaotic reality that they lived in. And even despite the wonder and magic of its beauty seemed untainted, a little bit of the world had still managed to leak through the barrier of water and rock. The frown on her face was noticeable, though she was not sure if he was looking because her eyes were trained solely on his back. She did not even turn to look when he indicated the scar on his forehead, because indeed it was the only mark that she had seen on his body until now. Ribbons of red and pink streaked across his marred skin with the simple touch of her fingers.
Something snapped in her head in that moment, deepening the frown and furrowing her brows even further. And wordlessly she reached for the hem of her light, flowing dress and began to rip off a substantial amount of fabric from the bottom while still keeping enough to keep her looking modest. Folding it up in her hand, she reached out into the falls to soak up the makeshift rag, settling herself on her knees before carefully dabbing the wet cloth to his skin to wash away the blood and clean his wounds.
His ears perked to the sound of ripping fabric, watching as her hand extended to dampen the self made cloth. His eyes widened in almost panic, completely oblivious until the feel of the coolness had refreshed his sore skin. It was the first time a woman had tended his wounds, in fact, the first time anyone had in such an intimate way. The sailors had tended to him, just in bring food and water when the boy was unable to move for himself at times. But nothing had prepared the boy for something of a feminine, gentle touch. It was far different than the brutal hands upon him for most of his childhood.
He curled into a ball, his arms wrapping tightly around his legs his back arching to her hands fluttering gracefully over his flesh like a butterfly. "Tenten?..." He questioned in a more solid tone, a quiet voice. The smug arrogance of the young man had melted with a simple kind gesture, something that he rarely experienced. Feeling the comfort of her presents, to be in the grace of her aura.. To feel cared for?...Was Being a pirate nothing like what he had read in books... Was it wrong?
"What's it like to be a pirate?"
Her hand paused a moment to mull over his question before the resumed with their careful work. Every so often she had to wring out the moisture from the rag and wash it clean of the blood before continuing with her careful work. The skin looked a bit better without the blood marks splotched here and there around his opened wounds. And she could tell that a good amount of healing had already begun from the night before, though still not enough save him from her concern, though his curious question was enough to distract her from it for a moment.
Was she really the right person to answer that for him? Her life had been somewhat sheltered compared to a great many others who had grown up in the profession because of her position as a Pirate Lord's daughter. The respect that he demanded and the power that he held over all who sailed the South China Sea had assured that she would not have to face dangers without a gang of men at her back that would follow his command to protect her. But that only meant that she had had to work harder to gain their respects as well. She was viewed like one of those pampered gentile women of the nobility, only among a much lower class of citizens, and with less of the finery and without the strict social codes that had bound the rest of her sex into submission.
"It...really depends on your experience if you want to be honest." She reached deep into her memory of the past six years when she had first arrived in Singapore, weeks after that tragic night when she had left her own mother in fate's hands. Cold and alone, she had went to the only place she knew there would be help. And she had nearly died getting there. But she was a survivor, just as all pirates had to be in order to live such a life of danger and adventure, skirting of the line of life and death on a daily basis, fighting from being brought to the gallows to be hung for their crimes against a society that had no place for them. "It's hard most of the time from what I've experienced, finding the means to stay alive when there's no treasure to sustain you and the Royal Navy is constantly nipping at your heels."
And then, at a fond memory, her lips quirked up in a gentle smile. "But with the freedom that comes with such a life...I'd say it's worth it."
His thoughts seemed lost in the song of her voice, to listen to such words were all to familiar. A pirates life was not that much different that his own, he was the pirate his father the navy. But the men that engulfed themselves in such a life had something that he did not.
"Freedom...." He repeated after, his deep tone fell to a whisper of thoughts to be carried away with the sound of the elegant rushing water, and brushed to the side with the gentle sweep of her hand nursing the wounds that had already began to heal. To be free? From pain? From hiding in fear? What would that be like? And in this thoughts he envied the pirate life, it was in that moment his decision was made.
To be a pirate was to be free, and one day knowing this when all said and done, no longer in the grasp of the one he feared he would give up this life of solitude and spread his wings like a butterfly breaking from it's cocoon. The rising excitement at the mental image of himself standing next to the great pirate lord, her father with his hands on his hips and a boyish smile across his face.
"I've read stories about pirates." Forgetting completely of her kind gesture of cleaning his battered skin he leaped to his feet, jumping to the side grasping a near by stick holding it as a sword. He held it as he had been taught but the members of the crew, mainly when his father was passed out in slumber or attention being diverted from the young man by a whore. "furious fights adventure and buried treasures" He stabbed the air in a forceful thrust. "Riches beyond your wildest dreams. And the feel if the salt air in your face with not a care but what lay between you and the open sea."
Fingers remained clasped around the rag, hovering in the air where she had been tending to his cuts, she watched him from where she knelt, finding it hardly possible to keep the small smirk from forming at her lips. Such delusions in his excitement, believing that the life she lived was all glamour and excitement, endless adventure and wondrous hunts for treasure around the world. But that was only one part of the story. There were much darker aspects that were kept out of the books, simply because they were untold truths that none dare to say aloud. "Stories and real life are two completely different creatures."
"Yes, there are treasures and there are battles, adventures beyond your wildest imaginations to places you thought you could only see in your dreams." Slowly, she stood from her spot and in a few small steps stood in front of him, gripping the stick in his hand and gently lowering it to level with the curve of her hip. Still the wet cloth was in her hand, dripping with the pink tinted liquid that was a deluded concoction of his blood at the water from the falls, like so many rags she had used, like so many wounds that she had cleaned. The men of her father's crew had faced death many times, and always she had been the one to pick up the broken pieces, saved those that could be saved and brought comfort to those who could not. "But there are two sides to every story, just as there is in real life. People die daily living such a life. It is just as much a game of luck and chance as it is a game of skill and cunning."
His expression turned from an excited one to a soft frown, her hand lowering the stick so she could step forward closer. He shifted from one bare foot to the other as pale eyes followed her every move. Ears flickering to her every word, wondering if she had any clue as to what his life and the life of the crew he had stood next to through blood sweat and tears.
"I don't fear death, but I am unable to live life. I think it is good to live a life without fear of death to truly experience what it has to offer." He nodded once, dropping the stick from his hand letting it fall to the floor in a hallow thump echoing through the cavern with a bounce. He did not fear death because he himself had stared Satan in the face more times than he could count, finding their often meetings enjoyable as the demon laughed an inward bellow of eerie death. The boy was strong and stubborn, his soul was already broken with the exception the written words seemed to protect him like a shell.
"I will become a great pirate someday." but he feared even saying the final part, if only in his stories, his dreams he would become well known throughout the Caribbean as a gracious pirate as her father was. But the boys personality tenancies had already marked him for the type of man he will grow to be, even as he refused to believe he would never become the merchant in the flesh reborn. He stepped from the rock back to where the water draped the rocks, leaving her to stand staring at the empty spot where he once stood. "Maybe you will hear of me again." With that he dipped his head under the rushing falls, his fingers racking through crimson strands getting the dirt and soot that had collected over time, cleaning himself from the dry blood that had stuck in an uncomfortable scabbing layer.
Shining brown eyes followed drifted off in thought while she listened to his words, his ambitions, goals she knew he would achieve once he set his mind to the idea. Gaara held the hearts of his father's men. Their loyalty and devotion to him was great from what she had seen of them in the few days she had been a guest on their ship. But she had seen a great many characters turn dark under the influence of the life, good intentions slowly bleeding into a necessity and eventually corrupting into greed. To see such a spirit as his become just that, and knowing what it could do to a man...she worried of what would become of him should he choose that path.
She glanced at the rag in her hand and decidedly tossed it over the side, down the falls to let it drift in current and wash up on the riverbank. And for a moment, her eyes could see nothing else but the swift moving droplets of water cascading down the rock face in a curtain of rainbowed beauty, her thoughts wrapping and coiling around his words until a soft response came pouring out of her lips. "It's not a matter of fearing death, everyone does no matter what they say. It's something inevitable, unstoppable, so fearing it would be a waste of a life." Carefully she reached out her hand to touch the sheet of liquid crystals, watching it pour through her fingers and wash away the lingering traces of blood from the cloth. "Everyone dies eventually, even the great Immortals of the ancient Greek legends."
Her eyes swept to where he stood, cleansing himself of the dirt that had collected from the hard work of maintaining a ship out at sea. "But everything comes at a price. Every day you are hunted, always fearing that one day they'll catch you and put you back into the cage that will surely be the end of you...all because those that wish to chain you back into your place believe your ideals to be strange, rebellious, and thus wrong. Can you live such a life, Gaara?"
"Yes" He agreed sure and immediately, knowing this life he lived was far from the one he wished it to be. Wanting to be free to do as he please, to walk in the open without shame. But would he really have the self strength to do such a thing? "Anything is better than this." He remarked calmly frantically washing the dirt from his hair pulling away allowing the drops of water flow over his face, down his cheeks to his chest. Next sticking his foot in one after the other washing away the long days work on the merchant ship like it was nothing but a layer of thin dust.
"Maybe someday." turning to her with a playful tug at the corner of his mouth, Tenten looked far too dry to be standing and talking behind a cavern blanketed in water... Far too indeed. As with one long stride carrying his small frame behind her, his nose pointed to the bare skin of her shoulder allowing the cool drops from the tips of his red hair to fall, in a cool relief from the stifling hot weather. In a light hearted move his wet arms found snaking around her dry cloths pulling her into a rather gentle hug, obviously it was a attempt to gave her squirm away from the water, not once passing his mind that it would have been him she would try and escape. It was odd, but bold move as he had never acted this way around anyone, the crew had known him to be quiet and a book worm. But she made him open up, to explore this unknown that was hidden. She must have been something to be able to unfold the boys personality, to break down walls of complete solitude to welcome her? As a friend? Or would she really think of him this way, just another servant under the great pirate lord. He shook his head at an attempted to catch himself again, withdrawing his arms slowly from around her in a quiet plea of 'please don't tell him...'
"I'm sorry... I just.."
"...Maybe..." His voice was light, and maybe even...hopeful, something she was glad to hear in him. He was still a child in her eyes (and so was she for that matter), yet his life had seemed far from the sort that would allow a young boy to simply be that, to run around and play, enjoy life with the innocence that only children held in their naivety. She knew nothing about Gaara, even after all these days she had spent in his company, on this ship that was captained by his father. But she could see enough of his life in the way the young boy behaved and acted, so reserved and closed into himself as if to let that part go free would mean death or something far worse, something she had only caught a glimpse of last night. His father had been teeming with alcohol in his blood, stumbling on deck in the midst of something so innocent as reciting text from a great epic, stories to tell at sea and pass the time. But the man's reaction had been so...unthinkable, unimaginable. For Gaara to suffer a lifetime under the man's thumb, 13 years of torment...
And still he could manage to smile like that, faint as it was. And she could not help but return the sentiment and smile back. It was the first she had seen from him that was neither sneering nor condescending. Not a single trace of a sarcastic smirk in his expression, but a genuine outward show of...happiness? Hope? Could he truly possess such ideals with the life that he lead now with the goals that he had set for himself? Perhaps. It was not an impossible feat, not with the following that he had with the merchant crew. After all, a strong leader is in need of good support, those he could trust.
Amid her musings, she had lost all focus on her surroundings and suddenly found herself encased in a gentle hug, pale arms wrapping around her so carefully that she hardly even started from the unexpected touch. The beads of water that still clung to his skin, she felt seep through the thin fabric of her tattering dress, the warmth of his body radiating to her as well as if to balance out the icy chill that the water brought. No one...had ever touched her in such a tender way save for her father and a select few of his crew that she had known since she was a very young child in China, barely able to walk but still filled with wonder at the adventurous tales they would tell by lantern light. And then in an instant, it was gone, replaced by some mumbled apology whispering past his lips.
"It's...ok...there's nothing to apologize for..." She offered him another smile in wake of the gentleness of her voice.
He pressed his lips together as if to stop the uncontrollable happiness swelling in the core of his chest, or so he thought having never felt such a thing before. He shrugged passing his now clean hand through the water, turning his eyes upward to catch a glimpse of the sun falling in over the wide vast horizon of the sea beyond the forest. Their time together was growing short, the departure time was approaching faster than he had liked and he would once again be reduced to the quiet little ship mouse his father had created for his own amusement.
Pulling his hand from the water his open palm flexing his fingers into a fist and the back out. One day this would be his world, he would hold it in his hand to control by his own will, he will be free like the pirates in his stories even though she had unintentionally dampened the life that would present an escape. He turned to her with his hairless eye brows knitted together before speaking in his returning quiet voice.
"We should get back, they will leave soon."
She reached out her hand as well, though it was to admire how the liquid curtain flowed over the skin of her fingers instead, streams of water sliding down her arm to the elbow. "Yeah...I guess we should..."
With a sigh, she glanced at her surroundings, at the beautiful buds and flowers that littered the ground and walls of the small and hidden alcove behind the waterfalls, petals fluttering and swirling around them from the strong gust of wind from the fast rushing falls that protected this garden from the elements. Such a shame to leave it now, the day seeming to have ticked by them so quickly, a majority of their time spent...simply talking, of all things. It was certainly an unexpected turn of events, spending the afternoon with the young boy, perhaps learning a little more of him along the way. But as all things do, they must come to an end.
One last glance around, a shuffle of her feet against the mossy undergrowth that crept out and around the rainbowed cave, she brushed her fingers along the soft curve of a flower petal, leaned in for a final smell of its sweet scent before making to depart, only stopping to turn to the merchant's son with a thoughtful and faint smile. "...Thank you for showing me this..."
"If you ever come back... we can come again." He followed with a satisfied nod, following behind with the pair of boots under his arm, the shirt being replace to cover the mess of his skin. It all seemed to melt away the moment he stepped out into the evening sun disappearing at a rapid pace over the distance. Taking deep breath of salt air before he would have to go back, back to where things like this place, times like the ones he had spent with her today would all be pushed to the side, kept hidden in his memory for a later date. A time when all hope would be sucked from his pathetic world curled up in his bed of hay below decks where there was nothing left but his own thoughts keeping him alive. This memory would save him, of that he was sure. Maybe he would not become what he had willingly shared, but it is not a bad thing to allow ones imagination to wander from reality...sometimes.
Each step brought them closer to the hard ground once again, turning on occasion to help her his rough hands reaching around her small waist lifting her from rock to rock until both were safe on the solid earth below. A swift glance around him for the old books he had left in the grass he had not gotten around to opening to the pages as he normally had when visiting this island, instead he had far more important and interesting things to tend. He glanced at the young woman behind him a brief passing at the thought with the uplifting feeling tingled through his body before continuing his search.
"My books are gone..." He followed as the expression in his face dropped to a frown, eyes widened as pale iris contracted with panic. Dropping his boots from his arms he searched before turning back to her. "Did you take them before we went up?" There was a hint of a growl in his voice. "Give them back! It's all I have with me!"
He seemed to lift her with ease despite his size, a tell-tale story of the kind of work he was accustomed to doing on the ship alongside his father's crew. And perhaps it was also a mental comment of how he viewed her, helpless and unable to climb down the slippery rocks herself without aid. Under normal circumstances she would have taken offense and rebutted his beliefs with a swift kick to the male anatomy that would have all of the island cringing at the pain. She would not be underestimated again, not after all the work she had put into learning the necessary skills to survive on her own these past six years while sailing with her father and his men. But with Gaara so distant from other people and the openness she had seemed to gain after their afternoon together, she did not want to spoil that. And so she let it slide, ignoring the unspoken and perhaps unintended insult for the sake of...whatever it was that they had managed to establish in one afternoon.
It had felt good to spend some time with another that did not make her skin crawl with disgust, as was the feeling his father brought when he would occasionally request for her presence during a meal or when the crew seemed busy with their daily work. He had called it a 'privileged honor' for her, but one he was more than willing to grant to the daughter to the Dragon of the East, Pirate Lord of the South China Seas. She had been loathed to accept the invitations, straining to make up excuses to decline. A queasy stomach, a mild headache. There were even several occasions that she simply stated that she was not hungry, starving through the day for as long as she could until food could not be denied any longer. It was not that she was afraid of his presence, but the man held an aura that troubled her. For some reason, she felt that he would mean to do her harm should the opportunity present itself, his wandering eyes always roaming the curves of her still not yet womanly features. She shivered at the thought, and was quickly brought out of her mental torment with a call of Gaara's voice, breaking through the muck.
"Excuse me?" Thin brows furrowed together with a look of anger mixed with confusion. The unintentional insults she could overlook, but she could not ignore the false accusation he was throwing at her. "I do not have your books. If you recall, I gave the one I had back to you."
"You and I are the only ones here! And I put them in the grass!... I am not stupid Tenten, I remember things better than you think." He scoffed, his tongue uncontrolled to the words spilling from his lips. No it wasn't Tenten, but his emotions were getting to him, his books were his only form of escape and they were the only ones he had managed to slip by his father for this two week voyage, and now... There was nothing. It didn't matter who or what, there was always something dragging the boys spirit deeper and deeper into the darkness of his own mind. A mind that was already far too corrupt under the surface to free from a life time of pain and loneliness... And made it clear when cold pupiless orbs, glossed over in icy stare of sheer resentment. That uncomfortable swelling in his throat again as the hard glare nearly piercing through those earth tainted orbs if hers.
He turned from her in a sudden shift, walking from her in complete and utter frustrations. His fists clenched so tightly the whites of his knuckles nearly glowing against his already pale skin. His jaw clenched hard biting his tongue, she was his princess after all Gaara's life was very much hers as it was his fathers. "FINE KEEP THEM! Not like you don't have EVERYTHING else already." He scrawled again, grumbling reaching for his boots and sprinting off leaving her behind. "I hope the coral snakes don't bite the little princess."
Several times she had tried to put in a word in her defense, but it was clear that he would have none of it. Gaara had his opinions about her and seemed bent on keeping them where they were no matter what she said. There was so much anger and rage in his eyes, in his body language that she just could not find the energy to fight it nor did she wish to, knowing where it would most likely end up. Arguments tended to run in circles, and she had been in enough of them to know, especially on a ship with a crew that viewed her gender as good enough cause to pick a fight, out of earshot of her father of course, because to enrage the man about his one true treasure was truly a death sentence. But he never caught wind of her battles because then the cruel words that they said would have been right. And she would have to learn to fight her own wars, because Shirou would not be around forever.
"Tch...everything, huh?" She spoke softly, mumbling, grumbling softly to herself and letting the roar of the falls drown out the sound of her voice as she watched Gaara stomp away with his fiery temper. "...Not even close."
Frowning, arms crossed over her chest in frustration, she turned back around to the falls to take a moment and calm her emotions. Gaara had said the ship would leave soon, and though she could not imagine it leaving without her after the promise the merchant sailor had made to her father, she would not take the chance. So it was with a sigh that she bent to pick up her previously discarded shoes, slipping them delicately back on her feet before making her way to the ship. She ignored the glances and stares of the pedestrians that passed her by, murmuring about her state of dress. She could care less about the tattered and frayed edges of her clothes. Her pride and her patience were already worn beyond repair.
Type: RP log
Fandom: AU!Naruto
Character(s): Tenten, Sabaku no Gaara
Pairing(s): Faint hints of GaaTen (hey, they're only children >___>;)
Warning(s): None
Disclaimer: I own only the part that I played in this.
Note: Log originally posted November 25, 2007 for the
eternalsea RP comm. In this, Tenten is 15 and Gaara is 13. Part two of THIS log.Dedicated to: Ninja Pirates. Everywhere~
No words could describe the unbelievable uplift in his heart, not one person on the boy's travels had anyone ever wanted to spend time with him in such a way. It was true he came here alone to think when ever the merchants ship made port to be alone, without the hustle and bustle of people, engulfed in their own self satisfactions. It was true that he came here to avoid further confrontations, to hide from the world he had lived his entire life. But to have someone like her, someone whom knew the importance of the written word to enjoy it as he did was a rare find.
"Sometimes it gets lonely, having someone once and a while isn't a bad thing." He assured her, between labored breaths as he made his way higher and higher, turning occasionally to offer a hand to see if she needed his help. "Besides, I person can go insane with too much silence." He stared down at her, tugging her up to the final rock that would lead them into the damp hollows of a cavern behind the falls. His words were truth, he had not known to what extent it would until his adult years.
He took his first step inside, hearing loud echo ringing through his ears of the water rushing, slapping against the surface of the rocks. The cavern despite being slightly darker than the outside world, was still very much in it's own natural beauty. The different tropical flowers, angling down from the entrance, and scattered throughout, like a curtain of rainbow colors ranging from pink to purple and yellows. Vines of lush green stemmed from everywhere fit for a fairy's dwelling, and the reflection of the sun passing through the clear flow of water casting a shadow leaving much of the small sanctuary visible to the human eye.
"Watch your step." His voice bounced off the walls in a hallow echo. "It's slippery in some parts.
She took his help when it was needed, but most of the journey was made on her own strength and skill, always refusing to portray the weaker role many would expect of her even though she knew he was offering more out of kindness and courtesy than a lack of faith in her ability to keep herself out of danger. What, in all the time she had been with their crew, had she done to prove herself and earn that sort of respect from them? Nothing save a nightly reading from her books with added flare and entertainment for the crew, something of little worth when it came to the pirate career that was to be her inherited legacy. She was more than that. But if not for her father's reputation, she doubted that she would have even been gotten the opportunity of their consideration in the first place. And where would that have taken her then? "I know what you mean..."
His hands were rough when she took them in her grasp, not unlike her own but of a different variety. While hers were sculpted through the practiced use of weaponry and combat, his were molded through years of a hard day's work on the ship, earning his keep alongside the crew like a indentured servant instead of the son of the Captain. And the demanding labor had done well for the muscles in his lithe body, feeling him lift her up with the greatest of ease for the last time as they came upon the entrance to the cave that existed behind the falls, the sound of the water crashing against the rocks below amplified by the hollow curve in the back.
A spray of water misted her hair and skin with tiny droplets as she entered silently, taking in the hidden beauty that laid beyond the elegance of the falls and the dangers of the rocks below should one be careless enough to slip on the mossy edges. And then came the smell from the flowers that carpeted the ground and walls, stealing her breath and leaving her to stand in awe of the mystical and somewhat magical dwelling. "Amazing..."
"Yes," He answered, reaching is hand out under the falls, letting the forceful rush pound against the dirt that and made a home in ever fold and crease of his skin. “Utopia..." The last word came out more of a shy whisper to himself, turning his eyes upward to the ceiling of the cavern, laced with green vines extending in an artistic twist of contrast against the darker walls. Rubbing his fingers together before pulling a clean hand back out. He paused a moment shifting a gaze to her from the corner of his eye.
Her eyes wide in amazement, the delicate lift of her hair as it swirled around her like a draping curtain swaying in the light breeze. The daughter of a pirate lord, what did it mean exactly to them to take on such a life of dishonesty, blood, booze and riches. But to look upon a man of great power as her father was, Gaara could not help but want to dig into the meaning of a pirates life further. He would look for books the next time he is in Trinidad, hopefully he would be able to slip past the book keeper again without detection.
He hesitated a minute his hand shaking reaching behind his back punching the fabric of his off white shirt, a natural reaction as he had done it many times before without the presents of anyone around to visually pray upon his bare skin. But she had known regardless, anyone whom worked on the ship knew so there was not much point in hiding it. With a swift tug the shirt pealed off and tossed to a dry rock. Wincing slightly at the sticking fabric of the dry blood that had linked the two together, opened the wounds once more. He pressed his lips together, embarrassed to show her pretty almond shaped eyes such things, he half wondered when she turned to see him would she turn away in disgust? Laugh at the scraps and bruises of his weaknesses?
Everything seemed to sparkle and shine with the light refracting against the crystal clear water of the falls that fell in sheets over the lip of the rocks to cover the mouth of the cave paradise and stand as a sort of fourth wall. Small rainbowed-tainted beams decorated the walls to further add to the elegance of the scene before her eyes. The fast rush created a soft breeze where the wind otherwise would not have been able to reach beyond the barrier of water, rustling the light fabric of her dress and giving a gentle sway to every vine, petal, and stem preserved within this bubble of beauty. Truly this was an untold paradise hidden from the world and created for only those brave enough to risk all in order to stand a witness to it.
She knelt down in a bed of flowers, and caressed the vibrant garden of colors in the petals, feeling the softness. She leaned in to smell the sweetness of their nectar, closing her eyes to better envision the life that they had lived in secret in this once forgotten patch of wonderment. So much like her own life, she noted. Always hidden behind a veil of secrecy, they were kept from the harsh dangers of the world by the falls, like a protective father looking after his charges. But in that one act, they were also cut off from the grand adventure that the outer world would have to offer, forever trapped and allowed to be seen by a selected few.
It was then as she turned to pose a question to the young boy that she saw him pull off thick fabric of his shirt to reveal the harsh imperfections of the night before that were hidden underneath. Her eyes widened just a fraction in shock at the scars and welts, but she kept any verbal reaction to herself, only allowing a small and soundless gasp to escape past her lips at the sight. His skin was riddled with deep red cuts and scrapes, some still bleeding or reopened from the movements he had made in taking off his shirt she supposed. She had seen enough blood and injuries in her lifetime fore it was she who tended to the injured men on her father's ship, being well versed in the healing arts from her time in China (tea and herbs held great healing properties as well as served to make a tasty refreshment for weary travelers). But never in one quite so young and so undeserving.
She reached out a hand as if to touch those marks, and perhaps offer to help heal them, but quickly pulled away. And for the briefest of moments, earthy brown eyes locked with the hard gaze of jaded stone before she pulled away, not out of discuss but for his sake of privacy. "I'm sorry...I shouldn't stare..."
He stood in awe of her, hardly even noting the way she was moving slowly towards him with a stunned look in those beautiful eyes of hers. She looked like a angel in the garden of Eden, or so he had read in a few different stories of such things. The bible was one considering it was the main source of reading for the crew, possibly the only book they knew of enough to pick out words here and there. Gaara had read through the book himself, finding it interesting in the section of revelations and the second coming of the son of God. Another myth, a story to entertain the hopes of man in their afterlife another way of controlling their minds with fear of a higher power.
He tilted his head to stare blankly at her words for a moment, thinking of how to answer. After all many of the crew knew of what went on, seeing much to the damage to his outside shell and spirit from within. But, Gaara just figured he'd deserved whatever was handed, it was his fathers way of showing he cared? Wasn't it? He had read of different kinds of love maybe this was just it's own type that has not been written about.
"Well," He shrugged "It doesn't hurt all that much. They will be gone in a few days, although bones take a little longer... I can usually heal quite fast." He assured her. He mouth pouted to the side in thought. "How long does it take for you to recover after you get struck?" It was a rather innocent question, almost naive and childish of him. But he'd honestly figured if he was going through such trauma because his father loved and wanted him to becoming stronger, a better seaman... He could only imagine what Tenten had to go through being a pirates daughter and all. But the look of her glowing skin, soft looking and pale to the reflection of the sun passing through a wall of water, she looked as through she had never been touched by man in a violent way, even looking as if never fallen and scrapped a knee while playing. This making the small red head all the more confused.
He looked so small, or perhaps it was just a new perspective of Gaara that made him look a bit more diminished than before. The way he responded to her reaction was so innocent and casual, as if the whole of his back weren't ripped to shreds and left to heal on its own with no medicine or aid to help it heal faster. Blood still beaded out from his wound, reopened when he had moved to strip off his shirt, she supposed as she eyed the dried crimson blots on his shirt. And for him to talk about it so nonchalantly as he did only told of the frequency that these incidents occurred. Only one accustomed to routine found no fault in the actions.
The question that had been lingering on her lips died at the sight of it, and a new one came swooping in to take it's place. "But...how could that not hurt?"
She took a cautious step forward and held out her hand to him once more, slow so as not to alarm him and giving the young boy every chance to move away if he did not wish for her to touch him. Pausing once again, she looked into his watching eyes one last time before letting her fingers lightly brush, barely touching along the tattered skin of his back. Her brows furrowed when she felt the bumps and welts that covered the expanse of it, and slid over the new blood slowly collecting on the surface to replace the scabs that had been ripped off with his shirt.
He paused himself a moment in thought to her question, mauling it over in his head. He had nearly forgot she was even there he was so lost in how to answer. It did hurt, small needled of pain tingling through each wound as the blood ooze to the surface in self heal. The bruises a dull ache even as her delicate fingers brushed over his back he had found himself flinching against the non threatening touch. His frame shivering slightly, nervous but willing to allow her to explore his pain as she pleased.
"You learn to block out pain after awhile." He stated idly, with the slightest of quiver in his voice, still very much unsure still flashes in his mind of the events that would happen if they were found at this very second. "like I said, it will be gone in a few days and it will look as though I had not been touched. The only thing he had given me that scared my body pertinently was..." He stopped in mid sentence before drawing his fingers to graze over the course skin above his left eye. "Is this. Now that was painful." He followed trying to sound a little more light hearted, but failing miserably.
The stray strands of her hair fluttered wavered about her face, dancing to the gust of wind from the falls they knelt beside, behind in this hidden world that was just a small piece of paradise in the middle of all the chaotic reality that they lived in. And even despite the wonder and magic of its beauty seemed untainted, a little bit of the world had still managed to leak through the barrier of water and rock. The frown on her face was noticeable, though she was not sure if he was looking because her eyes were trained solely on his back. She did not even turn to look when he indicated the scar on his forehead, because indeed it was the only mark that she had seen on his body until now. Ribbons of red and pink streaked across his marred skin with the simple touch of her fingers.
Something snapped in her head in that moment, deepening the frown and furrowing her brows even further. And wordlessly she reached for the hem of her light, flowing dress and began to rip off a substantial amount of fabric from the bottom while still keeping enough to keep her looking modest. Folding it up in her hand, she reached out into the falls to soak up the makeshift rag, settling herself on her knees before carefully dabbing the wet cloth to his skin to wash away the blood and clean his wounds.
His ears perked to the sound of ripping fabric, watching as her hand extended to dampen the self made cloth. His eyes widened in almost panic, completely oblivious until the feel of the coolness had refreshed his sore skin. It was the first time a woman had tended his wounds, in fact, the first time anyone had in such an intimate way. The sailors had tended to him, just in bring food and water when the boy was unable to move for himself at times. But nothing had prepared the boy for something of a feminine, gentle touch. It was far different than the brutal hands upon him for most of his childhood.
He curled into a ball, his arms wrapping tightly around his legs his back arching to her hands fluttering gracefully over his flesh like a butterfly. "Tenten?..." He questioned in a more solid tone, a quiet voice. The smug arrogance of the young man had melted with a simple kind gesture, something that he rarely experienced. Feeling the comfort of her presents, to be in the grace of her aura.. To feel cared for?...Was Being a pirate nothing like what he had read in books... Was it wrong?
"What's it like to be a pirate?"
Her hand paused a moment to mull over his question before the resumed with their careful work. Every so often she had to wring out the moisture from the rag and wash it clean of the blood before continuing with her careful work. The skin looked a bit better without the blood marks splotched here and there around his opened wounds. And she could tell that a good amount of healing had already begun from the night before, though still not enough save him from her concern, though his curious question was enough to distract her from it for a moment.
Was she really the right person to answer that for him? Her life had been somewhat sheltered compared to a great many others who had grown up in the profession because of her position as a Pirate Lord's daughter. The respect that he demanded and the power that he held over all who sailed the South China Sea had assured that she would not have to face dangers without a gang of men at her back that would follow his command to protect her. But that only meant that she had had to work harder to gain their respects as well. She was viewed like one of those pampered gentile women of the nobility, only among a much lower class of citizens, and with less of the finery and without the strict social codes that had bound the rest of her sex into submission.
"It...really depends on your experience if you want to be honest." She reached deep into her memory of the past six years when she had first arrived in Singapore, weeks after that tragic night when she had left her own mother in fate's hands. Cold and alone, she had went to the only place she knew there would be help. And she had nearly died getting there. But she was a survivor, just as all pirates had to be in order to live such a life of danger and adventure, skirting of the line of life and death on a daily basis, fighting from being brought to the gallows to be hung for their crimes against a society that had no place for them. "It's hard most of the time from what I've experienced, finding the means to stay alive when there's no treasure to sustain you and the Royal Navy is constantly nipping at your heels."
And then, at a fond memory, her lips quirked up in a gentle smile. "But with the freedom that comes with such a life...I'd say it's worth it."
His thoughts seemed lost in the song of her voice, to listen to such words were all to familiar. A pirates life was not that much different that his own, he was the pirate his father the navy. But the men that engulfed themselves in such a life had something that he did not.
"Freedom...." He repeated after, his deep tone fell to a whisper of thoughts to be carried away with the sound of the elegant rushing water, and brushed to the side with the gentle sweep of her hand nursing the wounds that had already began to heal. To be free? From pain? From hiding in fear? What would that be like? And in this thoughts he envied the pirate life, it was in that moment his decision was made.
To be a pirate was to be free, and one day knowing this when all said and done, no longer in the grasp of the one he feared he would give up this life of solitude and spread his wings like a butterfly breaking from it's cocoon. The rising excitement at the mental image of himself standing next to the great pirate lord, her father with his hands on his hips and a boyish smile across his face.
"I've read stories about pirates." Forgetting completely of her kind gesture of cleaning his battered skin he leaped to his feet, jumping to the side grasping a near by stick holding it as a sword. He held it as he had been taught but the members of the crew, mainly when his father was passed out in slumber or attention being diverted from the young man by a whore. "furious fights adventure and buried treasures" He stabbed the air in a forceful thrust. "Riches beyond your wildest dreams. And the feel if the salt air in your face with not a care but what lay between you and the open sea."
Fingers remained clasped around the rag, hovering in the air where she had been tending to his cuts, she watched him from where she knelt, finding it hardly possible to keep the small smirk from forming at her lips. Such delusions in his excitement, believing that the life she lived was all glamour and excitement, endless adventure and wondrous hunts for treasure around the world. But that was only one part of the story. There were much darker aspects that were kept out of the books, simply because they were untold truths that none dare to say aloud. "Stories and real life are two completely different creatures."
"Yes, there are treasures and there are battles, adventures beyond your wildest imaginations to places you thought you could only see in your dreams." Slowly, she stood from her spot and in a few small steps stood in front of him, gripping the stick in his hand and gently lowering it to level with the curve of her hip. Still the wet cloth was in her hand, dripping with the pink tinted liquid that was a deluded concoction of his blood at the water from the falls, like so many rags she had used, like so many wounds that she had cleaned. The men of her father's crew had faced death many times, and always she had been the one to pick up the broken pieces, saved those that could be saved and brought comfort to those who could not. "But there are two sides to every story, just as there is in real life. People die daily living such a life. It is just as much a game of luck and chance as it is a game of skill and cunning."
His expression turned from an excited one to a soft frown, her hand lowering the stick so she could step forward closer. He shifted from one bare foot to the other as pale eyes followed her every move. Ears flickering to her every word, wondering if she had any clue as to what his life and the life of the crew he had stood next to through blood sweat and tears.
"I don't fear death, but I am unable to live life. I think it is good to live a life without fear of death to truly experience what it has to offer." He nodded once, dropping the stick from his hand letting it fall to the floor in a hallow thump echoing through the cavern with a bounce. He did not fear death because he himself had stared Satan in the face more times than he could count, finding their often meetings enjoyable as the demon laughed an inward bellow of eerie death. The boy was strong and stubborn, his soul was already broken with the exception the written words seemed to protect him like a shell.
"I will become a great pirate someday." but he feared even saying the final part, if only in his stories, his dreams he would become well known throughout the Caribbean as a gracious pirate as her father was. But the boys personality tenancies had already marked him for the type of man he will grow to be, even as he refused to believe he would never become the merchant in the flesh reborn. He stepped from the rock back to where the water draped the rocks, leaving her to stand staring at the empty spot where he once stood. "Maybe you will hear of me again." With that he dipped his head under the rushing falls, his fingers racking through crimson strands getting the dirt and soot that had collected over time, cleaning himself from the dry blood that had stuck in an uncomfortable scabbing layer.
Shining brown eyes followed drifted off in thought while she listened to his words, his ambitions, goals she knew he would achieve once he set his mind to the idea. Gaara held the hearts of his father's men. Their loyalty and devotion to him was great from what she had seen of them in the few days she had been a guest on their ship. But she had seen a great many characters turn dark under the influence of the life, good intentions slowly bleeding into a necessity and eventually corrupting into greed. To see such a spirit as his become just that, and knowing what it could do to a man...she worried of what would become of him should he choose that path.
She glanced at the rag in her hand and decidedly tossed it over the side, down the falls to let it drift in current and wash up on the riverbank. And for a moment, her eyes could see nothing else but the swift moving droplets of water cascading down the rock face in a curtain of rainbowed beauty, her thoughts wrapping and coiling around his words until a soft response came pouring out of her lips. "It's not a matter of fearing death, everyone does no matter what they say. It's something inevitable, unstoppable, so fearing it would be a waste of a life." Carefully she reached out her hand to touch the sheet of liquid crystals, watching it pour through her fingers and wash away the lingering traces of blood from the cloth. "Everyone dies eventually, even the great Immortals of the ancient Greek legends."
Her eyes swept to where he stood, cleansing himself of the dirt that had collected from the hard work of maintaining a ship out at sea. "But everything comes at a price. Every day you are hunted, always fearing that one day they'll catch you and put you back into the cage that will surely be the end of you...all because those that wish to chain you back into your place believe your ideals to be strange, rebellious, and thus wrong. Can you live such a life, Gaara?"
"Yes" He agreed sure and immediately, knowing this life he lived was far from the one he wished it to be. Wanting to be free to do as he please, to walk in the open without shame. But would he really have the self strength to do such a thing? "Anything is better than this." He remarked calmly frantically washing the dirt from his hair pulling away allowing the drops of water flow over his face, down his cheeks to his chest. Next sticking his foot in one after the other washing away the long days work on the merchant ship like it was nothing but a layer of thin dust.
"Maybe someday." turning to her with a playful tug at the corner of his mouth, Tenten looked far too dry to be standing and talking behind a cavern blanketed in water... Far too indeed. As with one long stride carrying his small frame behind her, his nose pointed to the bare skin of her shoulder allowing the cool drops from the tips of his red hair to fall, in a cool relief from the stifling hot weather. In a light hearted move his wet arms found snaking around her dry cloths pulling her into a rather gentle hug, obviously it was a attempt to gave her squirm away from the water, not once passing his mind that it would have been him she would try and escape. It was odd, but bold move as he had never acted this way around anyone, the crew had known him to be quiet and a book worm. But she made him open up, to explore this unknown that was hidden. She must have been something to be able to unfold the boys personality, to break down walls of complete solitude to welcome her? As a friend? Or would she really think of him this way, just another servant under the great pirate lord. He shook his head at an attempted to catch himself again, withdrawing his arms slowly from around her in a quiet plea of 'please don't tell him...'
"I'm sorry... I just.."
"...Maybe..." His voice was light, and maybe even...hopeful, something she was glad to hear in him. He was still a child in her eyes (and so was she for that matter), yet his life had seemed far from the sort that would allow a young boy to simply be that, to run around and play, enjoy life with the innocence that only children held in their naivety. She knew nothing about Gaara, even after all these days she had spent in his company, on this ship that was captained by his father. But she could see enough of his life in the way the young boy behaved and acted, so reserved and closed into himself as if to let that part go free would mean death or something far worse, something she had only caught a glimpse of last night. His father had been teeming with alcohol in his blood, stumbling on deck in the midst of something so innocent as reciting text from a great epic, stories to tell at sea and pass the time. But the man's reaction had been so...unthinkable, unimaginable. For Gaara to suffer a lifetime under the man's thumb, 13 years of torment...
And still he could manage to smile like that, faint as it was. And she could not help but return the sentiment and smile back. It was the first she had seen from him that was neither sneering nor condescending. Not a single trace of a sarcastic smirk in his expression, but a genuine outward show of...happiness? Hope? Could he truly possess such ideals with the life that he lead now with the goals that he had set for himself? Perhaps. It was not an impossible feat, not with the following that he had with the merchant crew. After all, a strong leader is in need of good support, those he could trust.
Amid her musings, she had lost all focus on her surroundings and suddenly found herself encased in a gentle hug, pale arms wrapping around her so carefully that she hardly even started from the unexpected touch. The beads of water that still clung to his skin, she felt seep through the thin fabric of her tattering dress, the warmth of his body radiating to her as well as if to balance out the icy chill that the water brought. No one...had ever touched her in such a tender way save for her father and a select few of his crew that she had known since she was a very young child in China, barely able to walk but still filled with wonder at the adventurous tales they would tell by lantern light. And then in an instant, it was gone, replaced by some mumbled apology whispering past his lips.
"It's...ok...there's nothing to apologize for..." She offered him another smile in wake of the gentleness of her voice.
He pressed his lips together as if to stop the uncontrollable happiness swelling in the core of his chest, or so he thought having never felt such a thing before. He shrugged passing his now clean hand through the water, turning his eyes upward to catch a glimpse of the sun falling in over the wide vast horizon of the sea beyond the forest. Their time together was growing short, the departure time was approaching faster than he had liked and he would once again be reduced to the quiet little ship mouse his father had created for his own amusement.
Pulling his hand from the water his open palm flexing his fingers into a fist and the back out. One day this would be his world, he would hold it in his hand to control by his own will, he will be free like the pirates in his stories even though she had unintentionally dampened the life that would present an escape. He turned to her with his hairless eye brows knitted together before speaking in his returning quiet voice.
"We should get back, they will leave soon."
She reached out her hand as well, though it was to admire how the liquid curtain flowed over the skin of her fingers instead, streams of water sliding down her arm to the elbow. "Yeah...I guess we should..."
With a sigh, she glanced at her surroundings, at the beautiful buds and flowers that littered the ground and walls of the small and hidden alcove behind the waterfalls, petals fluttering and swirling around them from the strong gust of wind from the fast rushing falls that protected this garden from the elements. Such a shame to leave it now, the day seeming to have ticked by them so quickly, a majority of their time spent...simply talking, of all things. It was certainly an unexpected turn of events, spending the afternoon with the young boy, perhaps learning a little more of him along the way. But as all things do, they must come to an end.
One last glance around, a shuffle of her feet against the mossy undergrowth that crept out and around the rainbowed cave, she brushed her fingers along the soft curve of a flower petal, leaned in for a final smell of its sweet scent before making to depart, only stopping to turn to the merchant's son with a thoughtful and faint smile. "...Thank you for showing me this..."
"If you ever come back... we can come again." He followed with a satisfied nod, following behind with the pair of boots under his arm, the shirt being replace to cover the mess of his skin. It all seemed to melt away the moment he stepped out into the evening sun disappearing at a rapid pace over the distance. Taking deep breath of salt air before he would have to go back, back to where things like this place, times like the ones he had spent with her today would all be pushed to the side, kept hidden in his memory for a later date. A time when all hope would be sucked from his pathetic world curled up in his bed of hay below decks where there was nothing left but his own thoughts keeping him alive. This memory would save him, of that he was sure. Maybe he would not become what he had willingly shared, but it is not a bad thing to allow ones imagination to wander from reality...sometimes.
Each step brought them closer to the hard ground once again, turning on occasion to help her his rough hands reaching around her small waist lifting her from rock to rock until both were safe on the solid earth below. A swift glance around him for the old books he had left in the grass he had not gotten around to opening to the pages as he normally had when visiting this island, instead he had far more important and interesting things to tend. He glanced at the young woman behind him a brief passing at the thought with the uplifting feeling tingled through his body before continuing his search.
"My books are gone..." He followed as the expression in his face dropped to a frown, eyes widened as pale iris contracted with panic. Dropping his boots from his arms he searched before turning back to her. "Did you take them before we went up?" There was a hint of a growl in his voice. "Give them back! It's all I have with me!"
He seemed to lift her with ease despite his size, a tell-tale story of the kind of work he was accustomed to doing on the ship alongside his father's crew. And perhaps it was also a mental comment of how he viewed her, helpless and unable to climb down the slippery rocks herself without aid. Under normal circumstances she would have taken offense and rebutted his beliefs with a swift kick to the male anatomy that would have all of the island cringing at the pain. She would not be underestimated again, not after all the work she had put into learning the necessary skills to survive on her own these past six years while sailing with her father and his men. But with Gaara so distant from other people and the openness she had seemed to gain after their afternoon together, she did not want to spoil that. And so she let it slide, ignoring the unspoken and perhaps unintended insult for the sake of...whatever it was that they had managed to establish in one afternoon.
It had felt good to spend some time with another that did not make her skin crawl with disgust, as was the feeling his father brought when he would occasionally request for her presence during a meal or when the crew seemed busy with their daily work. He had called it a 'privileged honor' for her, but one he was more than willing to grant to the daughter to the Dragon of the East, Pirate Lord of the South China Seas. She had been loathed to accept the invitations, straining to make up excuses to decline. A queasy stomach, a mild headache. There were even several occasions that she simply stated that she was not hungry, starving through the day for as long as she could until food could not be denied any longer. It was not that she was afraid of his presence, but the man held an aura that troubled her. For some reason, she felt that he would mean to do her harm should the opportunity present itself, his wandering eyes always roaming the curves of her still not yet womanly features. She shivered at the thought, and was quickly brought out of her mental torment with a call of Gaara's voice, breaking through the muck.
"Excuse me?" Thin brows furrowed together with a look of anger mixed with confusion. The unintentional insults she could overlook, but she could not ignore the false accusation he was throwing at her. "I do not have your books. If you recall, I gave the one I had back to you."
"You and I are the only ones here! And I put them in the grass!... I am not stupid Tenten, I remember things better than you think." He scoffed, his tongue uncontrolled to the words spilling from his lips. No it wasn't Tenten, but his emotions were getting to him, his books were his only form of escape and they were the only ones he had managed to slip by his father for this two week voyage, and now... There was nothing. It didn't matter who or what, there was always something dragging the boys spirit deeper and deeper into the darkness of his own mind. A mind that was already far too corrupt under the surface to free from a life time of pain and loneliness... And made it clear when cold pupiless orbs, glossed over in icy stare of sheer resentment. That uncomfortable swelling in his throat again as the hard glare nearly piercing through those earth tainted orbs if hers.
He turned from her in a sudden shift, walking from her in complete and utter frustrations. His fists clenched so tightly the whites of his knuckles nearly glowing against his already pale skin. His jaw clenched hard biting his tongue, she was his princess after all Gaara's life was very much hers as it was his fathers. "FINE KEEP THEM! Not like you don't have EVERYTHING else already." He scrawled again, grumbling reaching for his boots and sprinting off leaving her behind. "I hope the coral snakes don't bite the little princess."
Several times she had tried to put in a word in her defense, but it was clear that he would have none of it. Gaara had his opinions about her and seemed bent on keeping them where they were no matter what she said. There was so much anger and rage in his eyes, in his body language that she just could not find the energy to fight it nor did she wish to, knowing where it would most likely end up. Arguments tended to run in circles, and she had been in enough of them to know, especially on a ship with a crew that viewed her gender as good enough cause to pick a fight, out of earshot of her father of course, because to enrage the man about his one true treasure was truly a death sentence. But he never caught wind of her battles because then the cruel words that they said would have been right. And she would have to learn to fight her own wars, because Shirou would not be around forever.
"Tch...everything, huh?" She spoke softly, mumbling, grumbling softly to herself and letting the roar of the falls drown out the sound of her voice as she watched Gaara stomp away with his fiery temper. "...Not even close."
Frowning, arms crossed over her chest in frustration, she turned back around to the falls to take a moment and calm her emotions. Gaara had said the ship would leave soon, and though she could not imagine it leaving without her after the promise the merchant sailor had made to her father, she would not take the chance. So it was with a sigh that she bent to pick up her previously discarded shoes, slipping them delicately back on her feet before making her way to the ship. She ignored the glances and stares of the pedestrians that passed her by, murmuring about her state of dress. She could care less about the tattered and frayed edges of her clothes. Her pride and her patience were already worn beyond repair.