He's beautiful, for a human.
Siren Sakura and Pirate Sasuke AU snippet. (Part 1 was told in Sasuke's POV. Part 2 is told in Sakura's. Has some darker themes than the first towards the end.)
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The water was colder than usual, as if the somberness of her mood had somehow manifested its current and frigid temperatures, as she loyally followed her clan's matriarch while they proceeded off to war.
It dawned on her that this was a pointless endeavor, that innocents on both sides would perish, but she also didn't have the nerve to stand up to their domineering leader; so, Sakura decided to simply follow orders and be a good little underling; at least for the time being she would anyway.
The atmosphere around her was equal parts excitement... from those who were fully engrossed in the misleading of their matriarch... while the rest seemed to be feeling what the pinkette was; a sad or despondent resignation at what lay ahead. Treacherous oceanic waves broke above them as they leaped from the depths, breaking the surface for a gulp of much needed oxygen, before descending back into the clear (albeit dark due to nightfall) blue.
The matriarch turned her head around as she continued to swim ahead, eyes narrowing as she glared at every single one of them, until they finally reached her intended target. A wicked smirk appears, twisting her features into an ugly mask and leaving little inference to her evil intentions while she waits for the young siren to acknowledge the gesture.
The pinkette didn't want to, but finally relented and met the older creature's gaze. "Sakura...," the siren hissed through yellowed teeth; the age lines near her eyes and the corner of her mouth crinkling as she attempted to smile. "Begin." A soft, sad sigh left her lips before she nodded in reluctant acceptance.
And so, she began.
To sing.
Though her thoughts wandered—
She had been unsure for a while as to why the matriarch of their clan had chosen her specifically to lead the choir in song; that is until several of them came up to her afterward practice one day and enthused that they had never heard a voice sound so pure and beautiful before; that it seemed to belong to an angel.
An angel, she most certainly was not.
After what seemed like an eternity, and with an increasing number of vocal tones joining in with her own—
"THEY'RE CLOSE NOW! I CAN FEEL IT! PREPARE TO ATTACK!"
A battle cry sounded from those closest to their leader, as a handful of them began to magically forge weapons from their fingertips alone... while others continued to sing. She was once told that other beings (the non-sirens) referred to their melodies as a "death song", and she supposed that it was an appropriately appointed name... given that most of the time they only used it to lure in the unsuspecting...who sadly didn't realize what was truly happening to them, until it was far too late.
"Sakura, check their location. Estimate the numbers."
"As you wish."
Her head broke the surface, only enough so that her eyes could see just above the rhythmic bouncing waves and her eyes scanned the horizon, until they settled on their target; a large and imposing ship, which seemed to be hasty in its approach. Its destination appeared already calculated and sure.
Sakura watched closely from this distance as multiple men scrambled about the wooden deck... seeming to hasten as an unknown command was uttered.
She had counted around seventeen, but on the eighteenth head she paused, finding that a pair of eyes as dark as the deepest parts of their oceans were staring directly back at her. She witnessed the surprised (almost awed) look cross his feathers as she took in the sight of him... as he took in the sight of her. It was almost mesmerizing.
Hair as black as the night sky. Eyes like black tourmaline; similar in shade to the pearl she found not too long ago. A body that appeared to be sculpted by the gods.
'He's beautiful, for a human...,' Sakura thought, but quickly shook her head and broke eye contact to sink beneath the ocean's surface once more... rejoining her clan while their matriarch looked at her with a critical eye. "Well?" Without giving it much thought, Sakura told of her findings.
"I witnessed nineteen souls, ma'am. Although, some could have been below deck and out of my line of sight."
"Damn them all; they outnumber us...," a red-headed siren seethed, while a blonde one rolled her eyes.
"They may outnumber us, Sisters, with bodies. But I would say that we outnumber them with our power. They have no clue what we can do. Let us show them how cruel the sea can be; shall we." A choir of encouragement reverberated from those around her, and Sakura felt unease grow in the pit of her stomach. She didn't appear to be the only one as several of her peers began to grow uneasy; eyes flickering around wildly, while their hands played with the tips of their hair or nails scratching aimlessly at the colorful scales that wrapped intricately all over the length of their arms.
It will be they who die.
They who will be sacrificed for the "greater good".
The "weak" ones...as their matriarch would venture to say. A cruel and indifferent leader, whom thought it fun to watch as men and women alike fought for her affections... fought their own kind (their own kin even) only to turn around and grovel at her feet for even a sliver of acknowledgment from her.
It was a cruel game their matriarch partook in; pitting them against one another for her own sick and twisted pleasure and entertainment, to only ever acknowledge them after if it suited her needs; and only if she ever wanted something from them in return. The siren's voices began to reach her eardrums just as the past memories began to wash away, and she felt ill to her stomach at some of their comments.
"Let us kill them all, ma'am!"
"Slice their throats open and watch them bleed out!"
"Helpless and foolish little humans for coming out so far to sea. They deserve to die for their ignorance."
"We will bask in this day and remember it always."
"We can maybe save a few? I do enjoy a little bit of torture before I watch the life bleed from their eyes."
"Paint the water crimson; let their ancestors hear their cry!"
"SILENCE!!!" The sound was tremendous, sending shock waves around them and all the nearby wildlife scurrying for safety. Every head turned; every eye now focused on their matriarch. "WE WILL ATTACK ON MY COUNT!!! DO NOT FORGET THE PLAN! I WANT THEIR "CAPTAIN" ALIVE! I WANT HIM FOR MYSELF!!!!" Another reverberating battle cry rattled in her lungs, as she forced herself to join in their merriment. Sakura forged her own weapon, a small sword intertwined with intricate patterns of both seaweed and sea creatures alike... the beauty of which shimmered in the full light of the moon as she held it outstretched to inspect it.
It didn't look like much, but she knew that it would defend her in battle, as good as anything the humans could have made... if not better. The signal was given a moment later, and everyone surged forward, swimming at full speed until they shot upwards and broke the surface of the ocean to face their enemies head-on.
'There's no turning back now,' she thought as she tried to prepare herself for what was to come by taking slow, deep breaths. 'We... are at war.'